Antoninianus - Tetricus II SPES; Barbarous imitation

Barbarous radiates imitating Tetricus II were produced in enormous quantities across the northwestern provinces in the early 270s, filling a vacuum left by the chronic undersupply of official antoniniani from the Gallic Empire's increasingly overstretched mints at Cologne and Trier. The SPES AVGG type was among the most frequently copied, likely because examples circulated so widely that local forgers had ready models to hand.

At 1.51g, this piece sits toward the lighter end of the barbarous spectrum — die-cutting quality and flan preparation varied wildly between imitator workshops, none of which operated under any central authority.