★ Copying a Provincial tetradrachm from Antiochia on the Orontes ★

UNCERTAIN GERMANIC TRIBES, Pseudo-Imperial coinage. Late 3rd-early 4th centuries. 'Quinarius' (Gold, 16 mm, 2.91 g, 7 h), 'Gordian Group'. Imitating Gordian III, 238-244. GORDIANVS PIVS Laureate and draped bust of Gordian III to right. Rev. VS ΔHMAPX Eagle standing right, wings spread and holding wreath in beak. Aurum Barbarorum I, -, cf. 801 (head to right, differing legends and the eagle with his head turned to left and without the wreath). A historically interesting and very important issue. Some scrapes on the obverse and with the suspension loop broken off, otherwise, good very fine.

From the Aurum Barbarorum Collection.

Clearly this eagle does not copy a Roman imperial Consecratio-issue: it is much more reminiscent of Roman Provincial tetradrachms from Antiochia on the Orontes of the 240s-250s, a somewhat surprising observation which becomes even more obvious by the Greek word ΔHMAPX on the reverse - an abbreviation of the term ΔHMAPXIKH EΞOYΣIA appearing on almost all Syro-Phoenician tetradrachms. It is the Greek translation of the Latin tribunicia potestas and proves beyond a doubt that the artist of the 'Gordian-group' had at his disposal Provincial tetradrachms from Antiochia on the Orontes, most likely of Philip I and his family (see below, lot 1871).