barbarian AE15?

[carpatic]

I appreciate your help with this one
15mm, 1.26g

[Joe Sermarini]

Not a type I recognize.

[carpatic]

It comes with a lot of low-grade late medieval French small coins ( from Francis I to Henry IV), so it could be from the region, but of course much earlier.
Could it be Merovingian, or maybe Burgundian, or Visigothic?
Not to exclude a very crude barbarous Tetricus or Victorinus...

[Meepzorp]

Could it be Merovingian?

Hi carp,

It is interesting that you asked that question. When I looked at your photos yesterday, I thought that it may be a Merovingian coin. I didn't post my feelings yesterday because I didn't want to lead you down the wrong path (in case my hunch was wrong). When I read your post today (asking if it could be a Merovingian coin), I was startled.

Interestingly, a European auction house recently (a few months ago) had a silver Merovingian coin for sale. No one bid on it. I seriously considered purchasing it from his list of unsold lots because I always wanted to own a Merovingian coin, and I don't particularly care for gold coins (many Merovingian coins are gold). That silver Merovingian coin was somewhat similar to yours. The reverse depicted arms (weapons, shields, etc.). Additionally, the letter "V" appeared on that coin in multiple places. Coincidentally, your coin also has a letter "V" on the reverse (but it may also be an arrowhead). That is one of the reasons why I suspected that your coin may be a Merovingian coin.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here are photos of the Merovingian coin that I mentioned above.

Meepzorp

[carpatic]

Thanks for the support!
I've found various Merovingian coins but none comes too close to mine.
On the other hand, it is probable that some types are not well documented and not much exchanged in the market. To me, it looks like in the first picture I see a bearded face right, which even without seeing a crown could lead to a barbarous Tetricus or Victorinus, very stylized. Such as this https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces31119.html

[Meepzorp]

...it is probable that some types are not well documented and not much exchanged in the market.

Hi carp,

I think you hit the nail on the head. Assuming that is true, it will probably be difficult to attribute your coin.

By the way, that is certainly true regarding the Merovingian coin in my photos. The dealer did not provide a reference number, and I couldn't find any similar coins in my internet searches (acsearch, etc.). So, I assume that means that the dealer couldn't find it in any of the Merovingian reference books (assuming he has any, I don't). If that is true, then that raises another question. How is the dealer certain it is a Merovingian coin? That question is one of the reasons I hesitated to buy it.

Meepzorp