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Antoninianus - Victorinus INVICTVS; Barbarous imitation
| Issuer | Uncertain barbarous city (Rome) |
|---|---|
| Year | 270-280 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Radiate and draped bust of Victorinus facing right, rendered in a crude, barbarous style characteristic of unofficial imitative coinage. The radiate crown is schematically depicted with splayed rays, and the drapery is summarily indicated on the truncation. A partial Latin legend surrounds the bust, partially legible as VICTORINVS P F A, though the lettering is degenerate and irregular, reflecting the hand of an unofficial die-cutter imitating official Gallic Empire antoniniani. The flan is irregular and slightly chipped at the edges, typical of barbarous radiates produced in the northwestern provinces during the 270s. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Standing figure, likely Sol Invictus or a deity imitating the INVICTVS reverse type associated with official Victorinus antoniniani, depicted in a schematic and degenerate style. The figure appears to stand facing, with one arm raised and the other lowered, rendered with minimal anatomical detail consistent with barbarous imitative workmanship. The reverse legend INVICTVS is crudely incised around the periphery, with irregular letterforms betraying an unskilled engraver copying official prototypes. The overall composition is poorly centred on the irregular flan, and flan cracking is visible at the upper right. |
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| Additional information |
Barbarous radiates imitating Victorinus flooded northwestern Europe in the late third century, filling a vacuum left by the near-collapse of official Gallic Empire coinage after his assassination in 271 AD. The volume produced was extraordinary — some scholars estimate imitations outnumber official strikes in certain British hoards by a ratio exceeding ten to one.
The INVICTVS type was among the most copied, likely because the legend was short enough for illiterate die-cutters to reproduce with passable accuracy.