Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Tejas, post: 8246184, member: 84905&quot;]I bought this siliqua in yesterday&#039;s Gorny &amp; Mosch auction:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Obv.:</b> DN HONORI-VS PF AVG</p><p><b>Rev.:</b> VIPTV..HO-MA-NORVIIV</p><p><b>In exergue:</b> MPPS</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1452164[/ATTACH]</p><p>According to the catalog, the coin is an official siliqua in the name of Honorius of the mint of Mediolanum, dating to AD 402. I doubt that this interpretation is correct, though. Below is an official coin for comparison (not my coin):</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1452165[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I think it is clear, that the Gorny&amp;Mosch coin is not an official issue from Milan. The style and the blundered reverse legend show that this is an imitative coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who made the coin, if not the Romans? This question is not too difficult to answer based on history and style. If it is a barbarian issue, the coin may have been produced by Visigoths in Gaul, Vandals in Africa or by Suevians on the Hispanic peninsula.</p><p><br /></p><p>I think the style of the lettering in particular suggests that the coin was minted by the Suevians. Below is a black/white picture of a Suevian solidus with similar lettering. The other fact that points to the Suevians is the mintmark.The Suevians always copied coins from Milan, in contrast to the Visigoths and Vandals, who usually copied coins from Rome and Ravenna.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1452166[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Numismatically, a Suevian Siliqua is a big deal. In around AD 456 a small issue of Suevian siliquae in the name of King Rechiar were produced (the first coin in the name of a barbarian king). Only three exemplars of this coin survived. The assumption is that this issue was completely isolated, and that otherwise only gold coins were issued by the Suevic kingdom. </p><p><br /></p><p>If my coin above is a Suevian siliqua, it would show that the Rechiar issue was not isolated, but part of a silver coinage that may have began under his predecessors Hermeric or Rechilar.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in