★ A highly unusual silver 'aureus' ★

UNCERTAIN GERMANIC TRIBES, Pseudo-Imperial coinage. Late 3rd-early 4th centuries. 'Aureus' (Silver, 21 mm, 3.69 g, 12 h), 'Tetrarchic Adventus Group D'. Imitating Diocletian, 284-305, or Maximianus, 286-305. •Z+ΣCCI ΩYI-IIIՒ Laureate head of Diocletian or Maximianus to left, heavily stylized; below, three pellets-in-crescents. Rev. I+IΓ∾XII- Diocletian or Maximianus on horseback to left, heavily stylized, holding patera in his right hand and the tail of the horse in his left; in exergue, three crescents. Aurum Barbarorum II, 1924 var. ( same dies, but in gold). A very unusual piece with original suspension loop attached. Somewhat porous, otherwise, very fine.

From the Aurum Barbarorum Collection.

This highly unusual piece was cast in silver from the beautifully stylized golden 'aureus' type appearing in Leu 7 (2020), 1924. We can only speculate as to why this was done, with one rather obvious scenario involving creating cheap pendants for lower-class warriors. If this were true, however, one would expect more silver pendants to have shown up over the years. Yet, in fact this cataloguer is not aware of any other recorded examples.