UNCERTAIN GERMANIC TRIBES, Pseudo-Imperial coinage. Mid 3rd-early 4th centuries. 'Aureus' (Gold, 21 mm, 5.82 g, 5 h), 'Stern Group'. Imitating Marcus Aurelius, 161-180. M ANTONINV[S] AVD TCCY XXII Laureate head of Marcus Aurelius to right. Rev. T P I XXII ΛIVCJIII Emperor seated left, holding uncertain object in his outstretched hands. Holed and with light doubling on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.


This coin marks an intermediate development in the Aurum Barbarorum, where the emperor is easily recognizable and the Germanic artists still try to follow the Latin legends of the prototypes, although they sometimes blunder single letters due to their illiteracy. Later, they often completely abandon any such attempts and replace the Latin letters with abstract symbols.