Starting off the year right! My first arrival of the year which fills a gap that I’ve tried a few times to fill over the past decade, but never with a solidus. It sure shows how crude the coins became at this time during the the Roman Empire or what was left of it. Valentinian III AV Solidus. Mediolanum, AD 430-435. D N PLA VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust to right / VICTORIA AVGGG, emperor standing facing, holding long cross and Victory on globe, foot on man-headed serpent; M-D across fields; COMOB in exergue. RIC X 2025; Depeyrot 20/2. 4.41g, 22mm, 12h. Please share any Valentinian III coins in your collection.
Valentinian 3 rules for like 3 decades and yet his coins are oddly rare. What gives!?!? Have yet to get a V3, just several V2 that I was too hopeful for
Your comment on the crudeness of the late empire is interesting. not too related, but here a very crude coin of Heraclius, Byzantine emperor in 7th century (not my coin) And here’s a missorium from the 7th century, made in Constantinople no less (my picture from Getty Villa) Artists were obviously still classically trained and talented even as late as 600AD. Why were coins so crude while other art forms so fine?
It is very odd indeed. This solidus is even more rare due to it being struck in Italy. I’m very lucky to have come across it, hopefully this isn’t the pinnacle of 2021.
I have a fairly extensive collection of Byzantine gold, unfortunately I don’t have any pictures at the moment. The portraits on the Byzantine gold are almost caricature like but still typically struck clean and centred. From what I see the mid to late 5th century Roman appear like they were bashed out in a rush before some raiding hoard invades the city.
Since your post I’ve been looking up ancient Roman missorium, so interesting. I had no idea that the classical artwork extended so late, it’s just unreal.
Nice! Congratulations with the V3! I tried to have one, but had to do with his co-emperor Theodosius II. I don’t consider this coin «crude» though:
