★ Heavily damaged imperial portrait ★

UNCERTAIN GERMANIC TRIBES, Pseudo-Imperial coinage. Late 3rd-early 4th centuries. 'Aureus' (Gold, 20 mm, 5.81 g, 12 h), 'Derived Gordian Group C'. UNJIHCNV VIHVV Laureate, draped and cuirassed imperial bust to left, seen from behind. Rev. IVTIOTHИ / O Deity seated left, holding patera in his/her right hand and scepter in his/her left. Aurum Barbarorum I, 798 ( same dies ). Sergeev 226 ( same dies ). Holed and with several heavy cuts and some scrapes on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.

From the Aurum Barbarorum Collection.

What exactly happened to this coin is difficult to say, but it can hardly be a coincidence that all the cuts were applied on the obverse, with the deepest and thickest ones basically cutting the imperial portrait in half. Speculating about some sort of 'damnatio memoriae' seems a bit far-fetched, especially on a Germanic coin, however, it is equally difficult to escape the conclusion that somebody really did not like the Roman style portrait on this 'aureus'.