THE LOMBARDS
Tuscany
Pseudo-Imperial Coinage. In the name of Heraclius, 610-641. Tremissis circa 620-700, AV 1.44 g. DN ICCNAIL – S PP AVC Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. VICTORIAACVSCCORVMA Cross potent; below, CO(..)O. BMC Vandals 34. Arslan –. MEC I, 309.
Irregular flan, otherwise good very fine
The protoypes for the Tuscan tremisses are those in the name of Constans and Heraclius of Ravenna. After an initial phase in which the flan diameters expanded, they started to contract and the coins took on a thicker appearance. The legends remained confused, but during the second half of the seventh century, they were substituted with a garbled inscriptions and letters started to appear in the field. The dating of this series, which Grierson attributes to Tuscany, is based on the progressive reduction of the flan size with the passing of time. In his opinion, the sequence is as follows: the first issues could be defined as "barbarized" with legends that are still legible but moving towards the so-called "pseudo-legends", after which come the usually thicker "barbarised" types, which occasionally bear initials before of the bust. Finally there are the thick tremisses with signs or initials before the bust.