Product Details

Notes: This coin is an ancient "barbarous imitation" struck during the 4th century AD to fix a severe shortage of official Roman small change. Because local craftsmen in the western provinces were often illiterate and working with fewer materials, they made smaller coins with mixed-up designs and scrambled, gibberish Latin text. They were widely accepted for daily trade in ancient times and have a unique history. Definitive archaeological proof shows that these 4th-century imitations were widely accepted for daily trade alongside official imperial currency. Coin hoards buried across Britain and Europe consistently show official Roman bronzes mixed right in with barbarous copies. Furthermore, thousands of these unofficial coins are regularly excavated from ancient marketplaces and military forts, proving that merchants and Roman soldiers readily used them as pocket change due to ongoing imperial shortages. Coin type: Roman Imperial Coin: Bronze Barbarous AE4 Obverse: VIIΘS - RONH (Blundered Legend) - Draped Bust of Constantinopolis Left, Helmet with Small Plume, Wearing Imperial Mantle. Reverse: Anepigraphic - She-Wolf Standing Left, Suckling Romulus & Remus; Two Stars Above Exergue: TRP Mint: Imitating Trier (330-331 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 1.20g / 14mm / 12H Rarity: Very Rare References: RIC VII Trier 522 cf. (R4) Sear 16487 cf. ACXII02