Watch List notes:

THE LOMBARDS
Tuscany

Pseudo-Imperial Coinage. In the name of Constans II, 641-668. Solidus, Spoletum (?) mid to late 7th century, AV 4.32 g. CONStΛN – tINVS Facing bust, wearing chlamys and crown with cross, holding globus cruciger in r. hand. Rev. IVTORI – Λ ΛVS Cross potent on three steps; in r. field, Π and in exergue, CONOB. BMC Vandals –. Arslan –. MEC I, –. Cf. MIB 3, pl. 26 XI (but quite different).
Of the highest rarity and of great historical interest. Good very fine


Privately purchased from Wayte Raymon in 1922. Ex Leu-NFA 16-18 October 1984, Garrett collection part II, 565, and Sotheby's New York, 2 November 1998, 285 sales.
The Lombards issued their own coins after their settlement in Italy. Minting took place in two distinct areas: in Nothern Langobardia, between the last decades of the 6th century and 774; and in Southern Langobardia, in the duchy of Benevento, between circa 680 and the end of the ninth century. Initially, they struck coins imitating Byzantine coins: only after did their coins begin to feature the names of the Lombard kings and dukes. In the north, especially golden tremisses were minted, while the Longobards of Benevento also struck solidi which remained the main unit of currency documented until the Middle Ages. The models used for the first imitative coinage were those of Maurice Tiberius (582-602), Heraclius (610-614) and Constans II (641-668).
The use of the types of Heraclius and Constans II in Tuscia, rather than those of Mauricius Tiberius in the North, reflects the later date of the Lombards advance to south of the Po.
This is one of the few Italian imitations of a solidus of Constans II. From a stylistic and technical point of view, one could argue that the coin shows a Ravenite influence given the wide annular border on the reverse. Stylistically, Roman elements can also be identified such as the monogram on the reverse, but it is quite different to contemporary coins of Beneventum. Having compared the coin with a specimen conserved in the Naples museum, one could suppose that the coin comes from Southern Italian location but the faithful use of Ravenite techniques would point to a more northern issue. Nevertheless, at the same time it differs greatly from Lombard issues from Lombardy, Tuscany and Beneventum. It may therefore be reasonable to place this production at Spoleto.