Antoninianus - Tetricus I SPES; Barbarous imitation

Barbarous radiates imitating Tetricus I flooded the northwestern provinces in the 270s and 280s, filling a vacuum left by the chronic undersupply of official Gallic coinage. This piece belongs to that vast, anonymous output — struck from hand-cut dies by persons unknown, almost certainly outside any imperial authority. The SPES type was among the most frequently copied, its simple reverse making die-cutting relatively achievable for unskilled engravers.

Findspot patterns across Britain and northern Gaul suggest many circulated well into the 290s, long after Aurelian had reunified the empire and official coinage was again available.