Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Tremissis - Moneyer Elafius Banassac mint
| Issuer | Elafius (Merovingian moneyer, Banassac mint) |
|---|---|
| Year | 620-640 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.27 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central device consisting of a chalice surmounted by a cross, a distinctively Merovingian religious motif reflecting the ecclesiastical character of the Banassac mint. The legend ELAFIVS MONETA is distributed around the field in angular, retrograde or irregular Latin characters typical of the period, with individual letters separated by pellets or crosses. The beaded border frames the entire reverse composition. The execution is characteristic of the provincial Frankish hammered coinage of the early seventh century. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ELAFIVS MONETA (Translation: Moneyer Elafius.) |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Banassac, a small settlement in the Gévaudan region of what is now southern France, was home to one of the most prolific Merovingian minting operations — unusual given its modest size. The site's productivity likely owed something to its position along established Roman roads and proximity to local ecclesiastical authority. Elafius is among the better-documented moneyers operating there, his name appearing across multiple die pairings, suggesting an extended tenure rather than a brief commission.
The Prou reference places this among a cluster of closely related Banassac issues that share fabric and module but diverge in die detail — the "var." notation against MEC I#423 is worth noting before attribution.