LOMBARDS, Lombardy & Tuscany. Desiderius. 757-774. AV Tremissis (18mm, 1.07 g, 6h). Mediolanum (Milan) mint. + D N DI:SIDI·RIVS (RXA), cross potent / + FL·A MI:DIOL·ANO, stellate symbol within circle; leaves in voids. Cf. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe 67 (for type) ; Pellegrino, Tremissi, pl. 1, 8 (same dies); Bernareggi, Tremissi –; cf. Bernareggi 161/160 (for obv./rev.); cf. Bernareggi, Moneta 28 (for type); Arslan –; BMC Vandals –; MEC 1, –; Adams I 398 ( this coin ). Hints of deposits, minimal hairline flan crack. Good VF. Very rare.

From the Richard A. Jourdan Collection of Medieval European Coins, purchased from B&H Kreindler, January 2018. Ex Dr. Lawrence A. Adams Collection (Part I, Classical Numismatic Group 100, 7 October 2015), lot 398; Bowers & Merena (24 March 1988), lot 607.

‘Desiderius created for the first time a unified Lombard coinage, for he not only struck coins of [the] Tuscan type at Lucca and Piacenza but adopted it for the north, with coins bearing the names of Milan, Pavia, Castel Seprio, Treviso, Vicenza, and other places... the dies resemble each other very closely and links between mints occur.’Grierson, p. 30-31