Got this lot in the mail today, the seller described it as official Roman bronze, but the crude style just gave it away. Some of my favourites, the bottom left one looks like a galley/sword fish at an angle even though it is supposed to be an eagle. I also did not have any barbaric radiates, so these are a nice addition. Although I got some Constantine era imitations from Sri Lanka earlier this year, which really bridges my East-West coin collection. Post your barbaric coinage or any imitations!
Jay, Nice catch ! There is a charm & naivety to barbarous radiates that gives them a special place in numismatics. These radiates also gave the barbarians an option among themselves as a medium of exchange instead of bartering for goods .
My view is that "barbarians", i.e. people outside the Roman empire had no use for these coins (apart perhaps as raw material source). I think they are "emergency money", that was used in the last stage of a hyperinflation, when prices rose so fast that the mints could not churn out enough decent coins to match the price increase (not knowing of course that over issuance and debasement had been the root cause of the hyperinflation in the first place).
The consensus view of the last 60 years is that the so-called 'barbarous radiates' are contemporary imitations produced in the 270s, primarily in Gaul and Britain. The term 'barbarous' is an unfortunate carryover from an earlier generation. In this context, 'barbarous' should not be taken to imply 'barbarian' but rather that the style is un-Roman, falling short of official quality. Nice lot! I collected these as a specialty once upon a time.
