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Author Topic: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?  (Read 1236 times)

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Offline Montanvs

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Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« on: May 19, 2008, 05:52:11 pm »
Either a late Roman or Ostrogothic kingdom coin would be my guess.  I have no references however, and the lack of an inscription makes it difficult at best.

Obvs. Head of Roma, with helmet left facing (illegible inscription).
Rev: Possibly victory with wings? shield at feet.

on the smaller side of 9m, but a nice green patina. Could use some more cleaning, but I'm new at his so will have to do some research (just water soaked so far, with plastic brush).  There is definitely more detail there by the looks of it.

Any educated guesses?

"What we do in life echos in eternity"

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vic9128

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2008, 06:02:41 pm »
It is a contemporary imitation of a Constantinopolis coin, and was struck circa AD 330.

Below is the prototype



A.D. 334- Sept. 335
20x18mm     2.3 gm
Obv. CONSTAN-TINOPOLIS laureate, helmeted, wearing imperial mantle, holding cross- scepter with a globe. 
Rev. Victory stg. on prow, holding long scepter in r. hand, and resting l. hand on shield.
* left field, in ex. AQS
RIC VII  Aquileia 129     

Offline Montanvs

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2008, 06:10:19 pm »
I know the Ostrogoths imitated early roman coins, specifically the Constantine ones.  So was it a contemporary mint, or a later Ostrogothic one?

Here is an image of an Ostrogothic coin that is somewhat similar in style copying earlier Roman coins.

My coin is only 9mm which is small,  5th Century coinage, and not the 330's I would think?
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vic9128

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2008, 06:14:02 pm »
As I said, it is a contemporary imitation struck circa 330.

These were struck in conjunction with the official coins, but not at a government mint.

Offline Montanvs

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2008, 06:26:13 pm »
I see.  Is there a reference that I can use?  Were they associated to any particular tribe or region?
"What we do in life echos in eternity"

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vic9128

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2008, 06:55:23 pm »
There are some good works on fourth century imitations, here are a few arranged chronologically:

George C. Boon, “Counterfeit Coins in Roman Britain,” Coins and the Archaeologist, London: Seaby (1980) : 102- 188.

Pierre Bastien,  "Imitations of Late Roman Bronze Coins, 318-363" American Numismatic Society Museum Notes  30 (1985): 143- 175.

C. E. King, “Roman Copies.” Coin Finds and Coin Use in the Roman World. Berlin: Gebr. Mann Verlag (1989) : 237-263.

David G. Wigg, Münzumlauf in Nordgallien um die Mitte des 4. Jahrhunderts N. Chr. Berlin: Mann Verlag, 1991.

Kevin Butcher, “The Maidenhatch Farm Hoard of Constantinian Copies” The Numismatic Chronicle 152 (1992): 160-174.



As far as regions, below is a map that shows were some hoards of imitations were found. The map is from the article written by J. P. Callu and J. P. Garnier. “Minimi constantiniens trouvés à Reims, Appendice II: Corpus des imitations.” Numismatica e Antichità Classiche 6 (1977) : 330- 315. As stated, this map is the locations of imitations from A.D. 330- 348.  The article lists the locations and types of imitations found, and the publication information of the finds, i.e. Numismatic Chronicle.






I also have a page on VLPP imitations with more information, including links to other pages.

http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/barb2/


Below is an example of a right facing imitation. There was also a right facing Constantinopolis copy with a similar mintmark in the Maidenhatch hoard. This hoard of fourth-century copies was found in 1970 at Maidenhatch Farm in England. Cohen also listed a right facing issue like this as number 23.

The reverse on your example also seems to resemble the style of a western mint like Lyons or Trier, and was likely struck in that region.



Offline Montanvs

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2008, 01:49:35 am »
Thanks Victor for all your help.  Learned a lot.

The size still makes me scratch my head though.  It is a full 1/2 cm + smaller in diameter than any of the examples on your site.  That is significant...... I have seen many of those barbarous coins, especially the ones with the figures holding the shield in the center, but they again were always larger 16mm and up.
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vic9128

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2008, 08:45:00 am »
The size still makes me scratch my head though. 

The VLPP imitations on my site are from roughly AD 317, while your coin is probably closer to AD 340. Gloria Exercitvs, Vrbs Roma, and Constantinopolis coins were gradually reduced in size and weight over the years, and the imitations followed suit. Imitations were generally smaller to begin with, so this means some very small examples exist. In one instance, Bastien (p. 150) noted 13 imitations of the three above mentioned reverses that measured from 9- 12mm. J. Lallemand noted 16 imitations ranging from 7.8 to 12.9 mm.




khingila

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2008, 08:52:14 am »
Examples of 4th century barbarous coins can be much smaller than even your coin. At 9mm it is not untypical for British imitations which the patina on your coin suggests as well. There were several periods of what Boon coined "epidemic" counterfeiting, as opposed to "endemic" (normal 'background' level) counterfeiting. The epidemics are periods when counterfeiting becomes rampant and the module of the counterfeits declines steadily down to tiny minimi. The most extreme examples come from the Lyndney II hoard which contained a number of miniscule copies of the FEL TEMP REPARATIO coins, averaging less than 3mm in diameter! While the impetus for these epidemics is shortage, the driving force is profit. One emission of counterfeits becomes the raw material for the next and with each successive recoining, the counterfeiter is compelled to produce more pieces from a given amount of metal than he had before (Boon CCRB pp. 113-115). The particular epidemic which spawned the copy in question here began with the reform of AD 335 and which produced copies of GLORIA EXERCITUS (both types) and the Constantinian commemoratives (both types) in a steadily declining module down to 7mm / 0.3gm and occasionally even smaller (see Bastien ANSMN 30, pp. 144-145 and for detailed metrology pp. 149-151). This epidemic continued until the reform of 348 in which all previous bronze coinage was demonetized and the FEL TEMP REPARATIO half-maiorina introduced.

--Dave

(I see Victor posted a similar answer while I was typing this one but I thought I would post it anyway)

Offline Montanvs

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Re: Ostrogoth or Italy Kingdom coin?
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2008, 01:38:05 pm »
Excellent, thanks for all the info!  Interesting stuff.
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