18

Barbarous Radiates 3rd Century AD Mint in Britain

Currency:USD Category:Antiques Start Price:20.00 USD Estimated At:40.00 - 80.00 USD
Barbarous Radiates 3rd Century AD Mint in Britain
ABSENTEE-ONLY BIDDING AVAILABLE. HIGHEST BIDS WILL BE TAKEN TO LIVE AUCTION FLOOR.

888 Auctions endeavors to accurately describe the items being sold, but all property offered for sale is strictly as is, where is, and with all faults. All representations or statements made by 888 Auctions and its representatives, or in the catalogue or other publication or report, as to the correctness of description, genuineness, attribution, provenance, or period of the Lot, are statements of opinion only.
Barbarous Radiates, 3rd Century AD. AE 'Antoninianus', Mint in Britain or Gaul, 16mm, 2.95 grams. Obverse: Radiate head of emperor right, blundered legend around. Reverse: Spes standing left raising hem of skirt. RCV Vol. III, pg. 413. The numismatic term 'barbarous radiates' refers to these unofficial coins made locally imitating antoninianii of the period. The crisis of the Third Century was a 50 year period of general anarchy for the Roman empire, generally starting with the death of Severus Alexander in 235 and ending with the reunification under Diocletian in 284. During this time the provinces experienced a severe lack of coinage. To fill the void small denomination coinage was unofficially issued in very large numbers. The die engravers, or celators, were obviously illiterate and of quite limited artistic capabilities. The end result is a fascinating series of coins with generally unreadable inscriptions and depictions of gods and goddesses with improper or mis-matched attributes.