Constantine the Great coin






Odovacar
King of Italy A.D. 476- 493



Odovacar
476-493
Æ Nummus (0.61g 10mm) Ravenna
[ODOVA] bust right / ODOVA monogram within wreath.
RIC 3502; MEC 64; BMC Vandals p. 45, 10-11.
Odovacar Ravenna RIC
                  3502



Ostrogothic Kingdom
 
A.D. 493- 553





Theodoric the Great
A.D. 493- 526





Ravenna

Theoderic. Æ Decanummium Converted to Weight (17mm 2.9 gm). Municipal issue. Ravenna mint. Struck A.D. 493-518. FELIX RAVENNA; Draped bust of Ravenna right, wearing mural crown / [Ravenna monogram  in wreath; X (mark of value) at point of wreath ties]. COI 78a; MEC 145-9.    converted to a two tremissis weight with the reverse removed and blank surface inscribed IS (16) in series of points to denote weight.
Theoderic
                  Decanummium Ravenna Ostrogoth







Athalaric
A.D. 526- 534




Rome
Athalaric. A.D. 526- 534 Æ Decanummium (18mm   2.1gm) Rome mint. INVICTA ROMA, helmeted and cuirassed bust of Roma right. D N ATHALRICVS S-C, Athalaric in military attire, standing right and holding spear, X (mark of value) in field. COI 85; MIB 77; MEC 132.

From the WRG Collection. Ex Empire Coins FPL 26 (February 1985), no. F249; John W. Garrett Collection (Part II, Numismatic Fine Arts & Leu, 16 October 1984), lot 506; purchased from W. Raymond, 19 September 1920 for $4.50.
Athalaric INVICTA
                  ROMA MEC 132 Ostrogoth




Municipal Coinage

 


Rome

Ostrogoths, Municipal Coinage Æ 40 Nummi. Rome, AD 526-534. INVICTA ROMA, draped bust of Roma to right, wearing crested helmet, pendant earring and necklace / She-wolf standing to left, head turned back to watch the two infants Romulus and Remus suckling; XL (mark of value) above, •||||• in exergue. MEC 1, 93-5. 13.39g, 25mm, 1h.

Ostrogoths Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus INVICTA
                  ROMA wolf and twins

 

OSTROGOTHS. Athalaric. Municipal Coinage. 526-534. Æ 20 Nummi – Half Follis (21mm, 4.31 g). Rome mint. [Helmeted and draped bust of Roma right] / She-wolf standing left, head right, suckling twins; above, Christogram between two stars; · X · X · in exergue. COI 84b; MIB 71c; MEC 1, 99.


Ostrogoths Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus INVICTA
                  ROMA wolf and twins






Ostrogoths, Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus (23mm   10.4g). Struck during the reigns of Theodoric and Athalaric in Rome, circa AD 493-553. INVICTA ROMA, helmeted bust of Roma right / Eagle with raised wings standing left, head right; XL upwards to left; workshop in exergue. Metlich 76b; MEC 101; BMC Vandals 14.
Ostrogoths,
                  Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus INVICTA ROMA eagle


Ostrogoths, Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus (24mm   11.3g  12h). Struck during the reigns of Theodoric and Athalaric in Rome, circa AD 493-553. INVICTA ROMA, helmeted bust of Roma right / Eagle with raised wings standing left, head right; XL upwards to left; •Δ• in exergue. COI 76b; MEC 101; BMC Vandals 14; MIB I 74a; Demo 42.

CNG Inv. 824397 (November 2008); Gemini XIII (6 April 2017) lot 267; Ex Classical Numismatic Review XLII. 3 (Summer 2017), no. 460205; CNG 117 (May 2021) lot 737


Ostrogoths,
                  Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus INVICTA ROMA eagle


OSTROGOTHS. A.D. 493- 553. 20 Nummi or Half Follis (23x24mm   6.5gm) Municipal issue. Rome mint. INVICTA ROMA, helmeted and draped bust of Roma right. REV: Palm tree; to left and right, eagle standing outward, heads facing inward; in ex. •XX•. COI 83 (Athalaric); MEC  110.
 
Ex Numismatik Naumann, Auktion 69 (2 September 2018) lot 453; Numismatica Ars Classica 93 (24 May 2016), lot 1119; Numismatica Ars Classica Autumn 1995, lot 711.
 OSTROGOTHS. A.D.
                  493- 553. 20 Nummi INVICTA ROMA Eagle palm tree




 Theodahad
A.D. 534- 536








  Witiges
A.D. 536- 540





Ravenna

Witigis (536- 539)
Æ 10 Nummi (4.63g 15mm) Ravenna
INVICTA ROMA, helmeted bust of Roma right of fine style 
DN-VVIT-ICES-REX within wreath terminating in X.
Metlich 92; BMC Vandals 11-3
Witigis (536- 539) DN
                  VVITICES REX Ravenna Ostrogoth







  Ildibad (Hildibad)
A.D. 540- 541




  Eraric
A.D. 541

no coins struck



Totila (Baduila)

A.D. 541- 552





Rome

Baduila (541-552)
Decanummium (16mm   5.1g). Rome
DN BADVILA REX. Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing.
FLOREAS SEMPER. King standing right with shield and spear.
Metlich 98b; MEC 162.
Baduila (541-552)
                  FLOREAS SEMPER Rome Ostrogoth




Teia (Theia, Teja)

A.D. 552- 553






Vandal Kingdom



Vandals   Pseudo-Imperial coinage
circa A.D. 450      9mm     0.7gm
OBV: laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.     REV: Palm-tree with dates.      BMC Vandals 68-72

This coin is an anonymous nummi which is most likely late Vandalic or contemporary with the reign of Justinian I, so circa A.D. 450. This date is corroborated by hoard evidence. It is probably best classified as pseudo-imperial, as it is not certain if it was officially issued and they usually have no legend or are illegible.

Vandals palm tree


Vandal Civic Issue  A.D. 480- 533
9x10mm    0.8gm
Obv: diademed and draped bust of Carthage left, holding palm.
Rev: Bar over N over IIII in three lines.    Carthage mint
MIB I, 20 (Gelimer); BMC Vandals 12 (Huneric); MEC 1, 55.
Vandals Carthage bar
                  over N over IIII

VANDALS.
Municipal coinage of Carthage.
Circa 480-533
Æ 42 Nummi (27mm 12.7g ). Class 1. Carthago standing facing, crowned with corn wreath and holding three grain ears in each raised hand; N X LII, above; all within laurel wreath with large central jewel. MEC 34-38; BMC Vandals 3.
Vandals Carthage


VANDALS.
Semi-autonomous coinage of Carthage. A.D. 480-533.
Æ 21 Nummi (21x23mm  7.7g ). OBV: KART HAGO Soldier standing; REV:  Horse’s head above mark of value XXI. MEC 45  Ex. Pegasi 2001 (CICF)

Vandals Carthage
                  soldier horse head

Vandals
5th century A.D.
8x9mm    0.5gm
Obverse: diademed and draped bust right with dots for legend.
Reverse: eight-pointed star within wreath. Carthage mint   BMC Vandals 165 - 172
Vandals Carthage
                  star

Pseudo-Imperial
Circa A.D. 500
10mm   0.75gm
Obv: pearl-diademed and draped bust with legend consisting of I’s
Rev: wreath surrounding TOV TLVM X (VOT MVLT X in retrograde)
 
possibly an unofficial issue minted in Vandal territory...Wroth lists similar examples in the British Museum collection

Vandals VOT

Pseudo-Imperial
Circa A.D. 500
10mm   0.6gm
Obv: pearl-diademed and draped bust with legend consisting of I’s
Rev: wreath surrounding TOV TLVM X X [retrograde]
Vandals VOT MVLT XX
                  pseudo-Imperial

Pseudo-Imperial
Circa A.D. 500
11mm   0.9g
Obv: pearl-diademed and draped bust with legend consisting of I’s
Rev: wreath surrounding TOV TVM X X [retrograde]
Vandals VOT MVLT XX
                  pseudo-Imperial

Pseudo-Imperial
Circa A.D. 500
11x12mm    1.2g
Obv: pearl-diademed and draped bust with legend consisting of I’s
Rev: Victory walking left holding wreath[?], legend consisting of I’s
Vandals Victory
                  pseudo-Imperial





Bibliography

Warwick Wroth Catalogue of the Coins of the Vandals, Ostrogoths and Lombards and of the Empires of Thessalonica, Nicaea and Trebizond in the British Museum (1911)

Wroth is perhaps the most quoted reference for these coins, though dated (and often wrong), as it was written in 1911. Reprints are cheap and downloads online are available. Often abbreviated as BMC


Wolfgang Hahn Moneta Imperii Byzantini volume I (1973)

Abbreviated as MIB.


Philip Grierson Medieval European Coinage vol I (1986)

A large paperback covering 5-10th centuries. It has good historical data on the Ostrogoth and Vandal Empires and each ruler. Abbreviated as MEC.


Michael Metlich The Coinage of Ostrogothic Italy (2004) 

Abbreviated as COI or Metlich

Željko Demo Ostrogothic Coinage from Collections in Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina (1994)






modified on 17 June 2022

Constantine the Great coin