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Solidus in the name of Honorius, degenerated
| Issuer | Suebi Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 420-476 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.65 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Standing figure of the emperor rendered in the late Roman Victory type, depicted facing right, holding a long standard (labarum) in his right hand and a globe surmounted by a Victory in his left, with his foot trampling upon a crouching captive below. The composition imitates the standard Honorian solidus reverse type but is executed with the characteristic degeneration of Suebian imitative coinage, with simplified figural forms and a garbled surrounding legend. The exergue retains a debased rendering of the COMOB mint mark, referencing the Constantinopolitan gold standard. The reverse field and figures show the progressive stylistic degradation typical of post-Roman barbarian imitations struck in the Iberian Peninsula during the fifth century. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Suebi, settled in northwestern Iberia after their crossing of the Rhine in 406, lacked the administrative machinery to strike original coinage and instead produced imitative solidi copying late Roman imperial types. These pieces were never meant to deceive — the debasement to roughly 70% gold was open knowledge among those handling them, and the Suebi economy ran largely on the understood bullion value rather than face authority. The reference to Honorius is purely nominal; by the time most of these were struck, Honorius had been dead for decades.