"Radiate Copies" : Late third century Roman emergency coins

Antony Kropff

Citation :: ite finds and coin hoards from northern France, Belgium, the Rhine area and Britain usually include a large number of late third century radiate copies (‘barbarous radiates’). The radiate copies were produced mainly between 274 and 282 AD to meet a coin shortage, setting in after the end of the autonomous Gallic Empire in 274 AD. The radiate copies are generally thought to have come from a local, small scale, private production, merely tolerated by the authorities. Nevertheless, hoards and site finds show that the copies were a fully accepted part of general circulation for more than a decade. Any private production would have resulted in counterfeit coins, and the issuer obtains a profit, injuring the receiver and the government. The coin shortage in the former Gallic Empire however called for emergency coinage, and the local authorities would have taken the initiative to carry out the actual production. Given the situation in the former Gallic Empire, we conclude that the Roman army produced the radiate copies in the north-western part of this area. The army circulated the copies in the form of soldiers’ pay.
Volume: CLI
Publication Date: 2005
Publication Name: RBN

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