Spain (603-10) tremissis
Caesaraugusta mint
The first specimen was lot 683 in Jean Elsen sale 151 (Brussels, June 2022), where it sold for €4,000 (about US$4,997 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"WISIGOTHS, Witteric (603-610), AV tremissis, Caesaraugusta (Saragosse). D/ + VVITTERICVS RE: B. stylisé de f. R/ +·CE:ΛR:C·O:TΛIV* B. stylisé de f. Très rare. Superbe. Provient de notre vente 110, 10 septembre 2011, 700. (Visigothic kingdom, Witteric, 603-10, gold tremissis, Zaragoza mint. Obverse: stylized bust facing; reverse: same. Very rare, Extremely Fine.)
Witteric était le chef d'un parti de l'aristocratie wisigothe qui renversa Liuva II en 603. Il s'était déjà révolté contre Reccared en 588. Ses deux révoltes semblent avoir eu pour but de restaurer l'arianisme comme religion d'Etat, en lieu et place du catholicisme adopté par Reccared en 587. Witteric fut à son tour renversé et assassiné par un parti de nobles catholiques en 609, qui proclama roi Gundemar, le gouverneur de la Narbonnaise. Celui-ci rétablit le culte catholique. (Witteric was the head of an aristocratic faction that overthrew Liuva II in 603. He had also revolted against Reccared in 588. The two revolts seems to have aimed at restoring Arianism as the state religion in place of Catholicism adopted by Reccarde in 587. Witteric was in turn overthrown and assassinated by a party of Catholic nobles who proclaimed Gundemar as king in 609. He reestablished Catholicism as the official cult.)"
The Visigoths were a barbarian horde from the lower Danube who invaded the Roman empire in the fifth century as it collapsed. After various wanderings, they settled in southern France and established a kingdom. Driven out of Gaul by the Franks in the sixth century, the Visigoths set up shop in Spain, contending with the Suevi and the remnants of Byzantine rule. In 589, the kings renounced the Arian heresy and joined the Roman Catholic church. With church support, the kingdom survived until the coming of the Arabs in 711. Succession disputes led to constant civil war and there was little resistance to the Muslim invasion. Their coinage comprises gold tremisses almost exclusively, the tremissis being one-third of a Roman solidus. The contraction of trade and the shortage of gold meant that larger gold coins were not wanted or even feasible. This example is from Zaragoza, one of 35 mints which struck this type.
Ispali mint
The second specimen was lot 441 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €1,500 (about US$2,088 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"WISIGOTHS, Witteric (603-610), AV tremissis, Ispali (Séville). D/ + VVITTERICVS RE• Petit buste de f. R/ + PIVS ISPΛLI Petit buste de f. Rare. Provient de la collection J. Druart et de Vico, Madrid, 16 mars 1995, 283. Superbe. (Visigoths, Witteric, 603-10, gold tremissis, Ispali mint. Obverse: small bust facing; reverse: small bust facing. Rare, Extremely Fine.)"
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold. The first specimen is 1,47 g, the second specimen is 1,53 g.
Catalog reference: the first specimen is Cayón-159, Miles 129c var.; C.N.V. 182.5 var. The second specimen is Cayón-170, Miles 140c; C.N.V. 150.5; M.E.C. I, 228 var.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, vol. 1, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 151: Collection Paul Witte, Monnaies de Brabant, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.
- [2]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 164: Monnaies du duché de Brabant et du royaume de Belgique, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
Link to:
- Spain (586-601) tremissis, Emerita mint, Reccared I
- Spain (601-02) tremissis, Ispali mint, Liuva II
- Spain (610-12) tremissis, Toledo mint, Gundemar
- Spain (612-21) tremissis, Elvora mint, Sisebut I
- Coins and currency dated 603