Spain (639-42) tremissis
Emerita mint
The first specimen was lot 34363 in Heritage sale 3098 (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $5,760. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Spain: Visigoths. Tulga gold Tremissis ND (639-642) AU58 NGC, Emerita mint. +TVLGΛN REX, facing bust / EMERI | T | Λ PIVS, facing bust. By all indications an exceptionally rare mint from this short-reigning king, and the only example we have been able to locate coming to auction in recent decades. Miles recorded just four examples of this type, two in institutional collections (the Cabinet de Médailles in Paris and the Instituto Valencia de Don Juan in Madrid), one in the Manuel Vidal Quadras y Ramón Collection, and one sold by Adolph Cahn in April 1933 (lot 2153), to which the Corpus Nummorum Visigothorum adds a single specimen in the José Luis Lázaro Collection. Struck in virtually identical style to the Emerita Tremisses of Suinthila, Sisenand, Chintila, and Chindasuinthus, this piece shows very mild die rust on the reverse and die polish on the obverse, its general wear pattern very light, with a single minor scuff on the reverse noted for the sake of completeness. Ex. Dr. Lawrence Adams Collection (CNG Auction 100, October 2015, Lot 369); Purchased from M. Louis Teller in December 1982. From the GK Collection."
Cordova mint
The second specimen was lot 451 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €2,600 (about US$3,620 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"WISIGOTHS, Tulga (639-642), AV tremissis, Cordoue. D/ + TVLCΛN RE: Petit buste stylisé de f. R/ + CORDOBΛ PIVS Buste stylisé de f. Très rare. Provient de la collection J. Druart et de Künker, Osnabrück, vente 182, 14 mars 2011, 996. Très Beau à Superbe. (Visigoths, Tulga, 639-42, gold tremissis, Cordova mint. Obverse: small stylized bust facing; reverse: stylized bust facing. Very rare, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
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. Cayón records tremisses for this ruler from 13 mints.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.51 g, gold, the first specimen 1.50 g. The second specimen is 1,38 g.
Catalog reference: the first specimen is Cayón-343, Miles-309, CNV-400. The second specimen is Cayón-341, Miles 306 var.; C.N.V. 392.4 var.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, 2 volumes, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, NYINC World Coins Signature Auction 3098, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
- [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 (631-36) tremissis, Emerita and Ispali mints, Sisenand
- Spain (649-72) tremissis, Ispali mint, Recceswinth
- Coins and currency dated 639