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42 Nummi Countermark, As of Galba, 68-69, Libertas
| Issuer | Ostrogothic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 501-533 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 42 Nummi = 1⁄12 Siliqua = 1⁄96 Tremissis |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | IMP SER GALBA CAES AVG TR P XLII (Translation: Imperator Servius Galba Caesar Augustus Tribunicia Potestate Emperor Servius Galba, Caesar, August invested with Tribunician Power) |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Ostrogoths did not mint large bronze on their own flans — they countermarked existing Roman imperial bronzes still circulating in Italy, effectively recycling the currency infrastructure they inherited when Odoacer fell in 493. This piece began life as an As of Galba, struck during one of the shortest and most violent reigns in early imperial history, then sat in circulation long enough to survive into Theodoric's Italy, where the countermark gave it renewed official sanction.
The 42 Nummi denomination is specific to the Ostrogothic reckoning system, adapted from late Roman accounting conventions. MEC I#69 places this type within the earlier decades of Ostrogothic administration, before Athalaric's succession complicated the kingdom's monetary arrangements with Constantinople.