Roman Barbarous Radiate ID Please.

A terrific example!

Lucky nailed it - these were made over years or decades (some even argue centuries) by people who may or may not have been literate enough to understand what they were copying.

The overwhelmingly vast majority are modeled after the Gallic emperors (a splinter state ruled by 5 emperors and at least 3 usurpers from 260-274). Compare against this official coin of Tetricus, the last emperor of the region:



And Victorinus, his predecessor:



See where it could get confusing if you were a poor blacksmith who couldn't read?

Tetricus surrendered to Aurelian in 274, around the time that Aurelian quintupled the value of the reformed antoninianus - most belive that was the catalyst for the development of these coins, since their small change had just been demonetized. Since the Gallic emperors' images were not protected by law, they were free game.

Of the literate or semi-literate barbs, most are imitations of Tetricus I. Pax, Salus, and Spes are the most common reverse types, probably because they are easier to copy. I believe yours is Tetricus I with a Spes reverse, with Spes raising the hem of her robe and holding up a flower.

Along with my shamefully large backlog of posts to make, I had written a little guide/intro to barbarous coins, but never got around to imaging all of mine. I have an assortment of about 50-100 barbs in an interesting array of sizes, types, and styles. The extra cartoonish are my favorites, although I have a soft spot for copies of emperors who are not often copied.

The consensus view is that the reform of of Aurelian was in substantial part a reaction to the epidemic of barbarous radiates, which the reform was effective at ending, at least on the continent. In Britain, where imperial authority was slow to return and where the reformed coins of Aurelian never really took hold, production of illicit radiates continued some time longer, likely until c. 283 when Carinus is believed to have campaigned on the island, restoring imperial order. The vast majority of the 'barbarous radiates' are either copies of the Gallic emperors or of the CONSECRATIO types of Claudius II. The latest certain prototypes are a few very rare examples imitating Probus. The phenomenon of the barbarous radiates is marked by a sharp decline in module to tiny minimi (defined as <12mm), particularly in Britain following the fall of the Tetrici. There are barbarous imitations of Carausius but no minimi, marking the Carausius imitations as a separate phenomenon. Indeed, some have suggested that Carausius may have called upon the services of the former illicit minters when he began to produce his own coins, c. 286.

Nice thread! Really interesting...

Great to learn something new thanks...

Paul