Follis - Valentinian III VOT XX; Rome

The VOT XX inscription marks a vow renewal ceremony celebrating 20 years of rule — but Valentinian III never meaningfully ruled anything. Elevated as a child emperor in 425 AD under the complete control of his mother Galla Placidia and later the generalissimo Aetius, his vow coins are political theater minted for a figurehead. By the time this issue circulated, the Western Empire had lost Africa to the Vandals, a catastrophe that severed Rome's primary grain supply and tax base.