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Antoninianus - Tetricus I Barbarous radiate
| Issuer | Uncertain barbarous city |
|---|---|
| Year | 270-280 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.00 g |
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| Obverse description | Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of the emperor facing right, rendered in a crude, provincial style characteristic of barbarous imitations. A blundered and largely illegible legend, imitating imperial titulature, surrounds the effigy in the field. The radiate crown, the defining attribute of the antoninianus denomination, is clumsily executed but clearly present. The overall workmanship reflects the degenerate engraving quality typical of Gallic barbarous radiates struck in the aftermath of the Gallic Empire period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Sacrificial implements depicted in the field, including what appears to be a jug (simpulum) and a patera or lituus, arranged centrally on the flan. The composition loosely imitates the COMES AVG or similar reverse types associated with Tetricus I, though the execution is highly stylised and debased. A horizontal line suggestive of a ground line is faintly visible below the implements. No legible legend is present, consistent with the blundered nature of barbarous radiate imitations of this period. |
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| Additional information |
Barbarous radiates — unofficial imitations struck in Gaul and Britain during the 270s — flooded northwestern Europe after the central Roman mint supply collapsed under the pressure of Gallic Empire succession crises and Aurelian's monetary reforms. Local workshops, some barely distinguishable from forgeries, churned out billions of these pieces to fill the vacuum. The prototype here, Tetricus I, ruled the breakaway Gallic Empire until his surrender to Aurelian in 274, after which legitimate supply from Gallic mints ceased entirely — likely the trigger for an explosion in imitative output.
Many barbarous radiates shrink progressively across die generations as engravers copied copies, not originals.