Germanic tribe (Goths); AR Denarius - imitation, a hybrid of Faustina I's obverse and Caracalla or Geta's reverse; barbarian mint; 2nd half of the 3rd century AD or later.
Obv. Draped bust of Faustina I to the right. Hair tied at the top of the head. The legend reads "DIVA IΛ - IFAVSTINAV" (slightly barbarized).
Rv. A young man (Caesar) in a tunic and cloak standing facing forward, head turned to the left, holding a long scepter (or a spear?) in his left hand and a wreath in his right. To the right, a trophy with a round shield at the bottom. PRINC - IVVENT (slightly barbarized).
Silver, 2.23 g, 18.5 mm, 5h. Compare RIC III p. 69-77 for the obverse; RIC IV.1 p. 233 no. 140 (Caracalla, 201-206 AD) and p. 244 note = Cohen 503; p. 316 no. 15-16 (Geta, 200-202 AD) for the reverse.
Grade: Good VF.
This is a barbaric imitation of a Roman denarius, also a hybrid. The obverse is taken from the posthumous emissions of Faustina I (after 141 AD). The portrait closely resembles the original, but the lettering has been slightly altered, presumably to read DIVA AVG FAVSTINA. On the other hand, the reverse type PRINC IVVENT, also presented in quite a good style, comes from the early denarii of Geta or Caracalla, issued during the reign of Septimius Severus, after 200 AD. This is a Germanic product, most likely Gothic, so the dating of this coin should be no earlier than the mid-3rd century AD.
