Thrasamund ruled the Vandals from 496 to 523, and these imitative nummi present a persistent attribution puzzle — the type was struck across a span broad enough to include reigns before and after his, suggesting the "Thrasamund" designation reflects die copying rather than contemporary royal commission. The Vandal nummus series as a whole was never an official royal coinage in the strict sense; it emerged from a monetized North African economy that simply continued demanding small bronze for daily exchange after the 429 AD crossing from Hispania.
At 0.20 g, these pieces had already degraded far below the weight standard of their Roman prototypes.
Thrasamund ruled the Vandals from 496 to 523, and these imitative nummi present a persistent attribution puzzle — the type was struck across a span broad enough to include reigns before and after his, suggesting the "Thrasamund" designation reflects die copying rather than contemporary royal commission. The Vandal nummus series as a whole was never an official royal coinage in the strict sense; it emerged from a monetized North African economy that simply continued demanding small bronze for daily exchange after the 429 AD crossing from Hispania.
At 0.20 g, these pieces had already degraded far below the weight standard of their Roman prototypes.