This arrived today, a slightly worn though otherwise well-centered and struck solidus of Anastasius, won in CNG’s most recent eAuction. As you can see they attributed it to the Constantinople mint, a standard Byzantine solidus. But I believe the reverse tells a different story. The style and COMOB in the exergue lead me to believe it is Ostrogothic. I do not think I am the only one who thought so, because other bidders showed interest in the coin. Which raises the question, how rare are Ostrogothic solidi? Or, how common are they in comparison with the prodigious Constantinople mint output? Is my attribution correct? And how often do do first class auction houses misattribute coins? Please post your thoughts on the above questions, and any Migration Era coins you wish to share.
Hrefn, That's a tough call , but I think you could be right . CNG is loaded with top notch experts so it's hard to believe they could have missed this. Pictured below is a Theodoric solidus for comparison. The portrait styles are quite different. Click the image for a larger view .
That is a beautiful Ostrogothic solidus. I suspect they were struck over a long enough period that the style varies to some degree. Here is another in my collection which is remarkable for the careless use of A and V punches in crafting the inscriptions. Some of the A’s are inverted V’s, and vice versa. From Dorotheum 15 credited to an Austrian specialist’s collection. One similarity in the Ostrogothic coins is the harpoon-like lance head My Constantinopolitan solidi of Anastasius mostly have a more leaf-shaped blade. I will have to study that a bit.
Hrefn, Your 2nd solidus is more interesting than the 1st . That coin is so crude I wonder if it really is Ostrogothic . It may very well be from another barbarian tribe. These Migration Era coins are fascinating & there is so much to learn about them. I wish Tejas would chime in on your coins, he is very knowledgeable on the Migration Era .
Your analysis is spot on. The coin was minted during the reign of Theoderic in Rome. It dates to the period after 497 and mostly likely after 507, so 507 to 518. The tell tale signs are clear and visible: 1. COMOB instead of CONOB (the latter was however used by Milan), 2. the legend with PF 3. the shape of the spear point and 4. the overall style of the bust and the letters are western. It happens quite regularly that even expert auction houses like CNG accidentially attribute an Ostrogothic coin as East Roman. Many of my Ostrogothic gold coins started out as misattributed East Roman coins. For example, I bought this one as a regular Justin I solidus of Constantinople. Instead, the coin was issued in Rome under Theoderic or Athalaric. Note, the Emperor appears to have a moustache (which was, however, probably not intended)
I agree, Ostrogothic Solidi were minted by the main Italian mints with all their skill and mastery. They are not imitations, but official coins minted by official mints. I think Hrefn's Solidus is an imitation of an Ostrogothic solidus, i.e. I doubt that the coin was minted by an Italian mint. The style is too crude and the celator was apparently illiterate. My best guess would be that the coin is Frankish or Burgundian. More research is needed.
