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Description: | A complete Early Medieval gold perforated Roman coin (6th to early 7th century). It is a Visigothic imitation of a gold tremissis of Libius Severus (AD 461-5), VICTORIA AVGGG type. RIC X no. 3759.Obverse: Diademed, draped bust right.Obverse inscription: [D N SEVERVS P F AVG]Reverse: Victory holding a crossReverse inscription: [VICTO]R[IA] AV[GGG]Die axis measurement: 6.00Dimensions: Diameter: 13.54mm; weight: 1.14g.Curator's report: A gold tremissis (? of a full gold piece known as a solidus) in the name of the Roman Emperor Severus III (AD 461-5). It shows his bust and has a reverse depicting Victory holding a cross, but is in a crude imitative style generally attributed from findspot evidence to the Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse. It has been pierced nine times at intervals all along edge. Piercings at 3 and 9 o'clock (viewed from obverse) have broken at the edge. Presumably the number of holes was made in order to fix to a textile or leather backing.Metal content?At this period great efforts were made by the Romans and Byzantines to refine gold and silver for their coinage (they carried mint-markings guaranteeing the processes) and such coins were usually as pure as was then technologically possible (i.e. greater than 95%). Although late Roman legal writing implies a distrust of Gallic imitative gold coinage, modern scientific testing suggests a gold purity in the region of 80-90%.ConclusionA single coin would not normally qualify as treasure, but this piece has been modified into an appliqué ornament, probably in England in the sixth or early seventh century, when coin-jewellery of this type was fashionable, and must therefore be considered as a single object, rather than a single coin, within the context of the Treasure Act (1996), and there is well-established legal precedent for this position.On the balance of probabilities, therefore, I conclude that this artefact should constitute a prima facie case of treasure by being an item of precious metal jewellery of an antiquity greater than 300 years.Richard AbdyDept. of Coins and MedalsBritish Museum19.6.09
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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