Antoninianus - Tetricus I MARS; Barbarous imitation

Barbarous radiates imitating Tetricus I flooded the northwestern provinces in the early 270s as the Gallic Empire collapsed and legitimate coinage dried up. This piece belongs to that vast, poorly-documented wave — struck by unknown hands, almost certainly in Britain or northern Gaul, to fill a currency vacuum that official mints could no longer service. The Mars type was among the most frequently copied reverses, its simple design lending itself to rapid die-cutting by unskilled engravers.