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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ValiantKnight, post: 1904013, member: 44210&quot;]Another what I like to call a &quot;VK (ValiantKnight) coin&quot; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />!</p><p>I had been meaning to pick up another Vandal Kingdom coin but had been putting it off as my interest was directed towards other post-Roman Germanic coinage (mainly Ostrogothic - got 9 in the last year!) and more recently, early Italian Byzantine coinage. This is my first Vandal purchase in nearly a year and a half and my first struck in the name of one of their kings (milestone!!!). And of course, I can&#039;t say no to a monogram that I like <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some historical background:</p><p><br /></p><p>The Vandals were a Germanic tribe originally from Scandinavia, and had, over the first few centuries AD, migrated to Hispania (Spain, where they took on the Alans - another migrating tribe - after the death of the Alan king) and later in the 430s AD had reached Roman North Africa. The Romans, not having the adequate resources or manpower during this time to completely dislodge any of the barbarian tribes encroaching further onto its shrinking territory, granted them the African territory they held. By conquest, the Vandals later took over further Roman territory, conquering Carthage in 439 AD. In 455 AD, for the second time in eight centuries, Rome was invaded and sacked by an enemy, this time by the Vandals. They had by now established themselves as a major Mediterranean player alongside the Western and Eastern Roman Empires and seemed here to stay after a combined effort by both empires to retake North Africa from them failed spectacularly in 467 AD.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast forward to 530 AD. Through a coup, Gelimer (born 480 AD) came to power as the new king of the Vandal Kingdom. He had deposed the previous king and his cousin Hilderic, on account of Hilderic abandoning his Arian (not Aryan!) Christian faith (the main faith of the Vandal population) and converting to the Catholic Christianity followed mostly by the Roman population. Three years later, on the pretense of restoring Hilderic to the Vandal throne, Eastern Roman (Byzantine) emperor Justinian launched an invasion of the Vandal Kingdom while much of the kingdom&#039;s forces were fighting a rebellion in Vandal-held Sardinia. Gelimer fought against them, but the Byzantines came out victorious (but were not able to save Hilderic, who had been executed on Gelimer&#039;s orders), and he surrendered. The former king was spared, however, and accepted an offer to live well in retirement in Galatia (in modern Turkey).</p><p><br /></p><p><u><b>Gelimer</b></u>, <b>Vandal Kingdom of North Africa (reigned 530-534 AD)</b></p><p>AE Nummus</p><p><u>Obv</u>: Variation of GEIL or GEILAMIR , pearl-diademed, draped bust right</p><p><u>Rev</u>: Monogram of Gelimer within wreath</p><p><u>Mint</u>: Carthage(?), struck 530-534 AD</p><p><u>Ref</u>: MEC 1, 28-30; BMC Vandals 4-6, Very Rare</p><p><br /></p><p>(seller&#039;s photos)</p><p><img src="http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa429/LurkingNinja/gelimer_zps72280a27.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>My edited version of the above, to highlight better the monogram:</p><p><img src="http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa429/LurkingNinja/gelimer2_zps230a449c.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Gelimer&#039;s monogram:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa429/LurkingNinja/gelimermonogram_zps6d3b5dfd.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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