Spain (631-36) tremissis
Ispali mint
The first specimen was lot 1263 in Goldberg's NY International sale 58 (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $600. The catalog description[1] noted, "Visigoths. Sisenand (631-636). Gold Tremissis, undated. Ispali (Seville). + SISENANDVS RE, facing bust. Reverse: + ISPALI PIVS, facing bust. Extremely Fine. Ex The William Oldknow Collection."
Emerita mint
The second specimen was lot 450 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €1,600 (about US$2,228 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"WISIGOTHS, Sisenand (631-636), AV tremissis, Emerita. D/ + SISENΛNDVS REX Petit buste de f. R/ + EMERI-T-Λ PIVS Buste stylisé de f. entre deux fleurons. Rare. Provient de la collection J. Druart et de Soler y Llach, Barcelone, vente 1073, 25 octobre 2012, 230. Très Beau à Superbe. (Visigoths, Sisenand, 631-36, gold tremissis, Emerita mint. Obverse: small bust facing; reverse: stylized bust facing between two flower buds. Rare, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
Cayón says those are not flower buds on the reverse but hands raised in prayer.
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.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold, the first specimen 1.54 g. The second specimen is 1,44 g.
Catalog reference: The first specimen is CNV 346.15; Miles 269l; Cayón-305; the second specimen is Cayón-300, Miles 273c; C.N.V. 358.8..
- 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.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Goldberg, Ira, Stephen Harvey and Vera Kan, Goldberg NY International 2023 Sale, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 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.
Links to:
- Spain (621-31) tremissis, Emerita, Eliberri and Toledo mints, Svinthila
- Spain (639-42) tremissis, Cordova and Emerita mints, Tulga
- Spain (649-72) tremissis, Ispali mint, Recceswinth
- Coins and currency dated 631