Catalog
Antoninianus, imitation - Tetricus I VIRTVS AVG
| Issuer | Uncertain barbarous city |
|---|---|
| Year | 271-274 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Antoninianus (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Virtus standing left, leaning on a grounded shield with her right hand and holding a spear in her left. The figure is rendered in a schematic, barbarous style with simplified drapery and crude musculature. A partial legend surrounds the type, reading VIRTVS AVGG in debased Latin capitals, though the lettering is irregular and partially illegible due to the poor quality of the die engraving and the small, uneven flan. A beaded border is visible along the lower rim. |
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| Reverse lettering | VIRTVS AVGG |
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| Additional information |
Barbarous radiates imitating Tetricus I flooded the northwestern provinces during the final years of the Gallic Empire, produced by unofficial mints — some barely more than workshops — filling a vacuum left by the collapse of regular coin supply to Britain and northern Gaul. When Aurelian reunified the empire in 274 and Tetricus surrendered at the Battle of Châlons, the official series ended abruptly. These imitations, already circulating in enormous numbers, continued to pass for decades afterward, gradually shrinking and debasing beyond any official prototype.