Extremely Rare Early Visigothic Silver

CNG 106, Lot: 906. Estimate $200. Sold for $500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

VISIGOTHS, Gaul. temp. Athaulf to Theodoric I. Circa 415-425. AR Siliqua (16mm, 1.49 g, 11h). Imitating a Mediolanum (Milan) mint issue siliqua of Theodosius I. D N TИEODO VS P F AVC, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / IRTVS RO MAMORVИ, Roma seated facing, head left, holding globe and reverse spear; MDPS. Reinhart, Münzen –; cf. RIC IX 32a (for prototype); cf. Ulrich-Bansa, Moneta 39 (for prototype); cf. RSC 56†c (for prototype); MEC 1, –. Good VF, toned. Very rare.

Ex Peter Lee Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 87, 18 May 2001), lot 1315 (attributed to the Vandals).

In his introduction to the reign of Honorius in RIC (p. 135), J.P.C. Kent notes that these siliquae with PSRV mintmark were struck by the Visigoths in Gaul, probably at Narbonne. Issues are known in the name of Priscus Attalus (RIC 3701-2) and Honorius (RIC 3703), the former with reverse legends ending both ΛVGG and ΛVGGG, but the latter only with ΛVGG. The present coin is the first attested in Honorius' name with ΛVGGG on the reverse. In his 1989 address to the Royal Numismatic Society (J.P.C. Kent, "The President's Address," NC 149 [1989], pp. i-xvi), Kent noted that the Visigoths minted the issues in the name of Attalus around 415, during an attempt to resurrect their candidate for Western emperor (ibid., pp. iv and xv). It is uncertain whether the issues in the name of Honorius were struck before, during, or after these, but the two coinages are certainly related. Kent dated all of the Visigothic coinage in the name of Honorius to c. 418-423 (ibid., p. xv), but the earlier date should be 415, based on the possible dates he set out for this issue. During this period, the successive kings of the Visigoths were Athaulf (410-415), Sigeric (415), Wallia (415-419), and Theodoric I (419-451). All of the silver issues of the Visigoths in Gaul are extremely rare.