Barbarous Coins

So-called barbarous coins were contemporary forgeries produced in large numbers, particularly in northern Europe and Britain. They were produced at various times, but this one copies the types of Constantine and his sons (such as this one) and so is placed in the middle of the 4th century. They are called 'barbarous' because they were originally thought to have been made by the 'barbarians' moving into the Roman Empire. However, they were probably made at individual towns and villages within the Empire and circulated locally. The complete disregard for accuracy and blundered legends points to a desire to distance them from the official coinage so as to avoid a charge of counterfeiting. They probably filled a void created by the lack of official coinage, since transporting such small change from the mint would have been unprofitable for the government.