Visigoth Empire, Tremissis

Visigothic coinage was inspired by the coins of the late Roman Empire. The legends and motifs of these pseudo-imperial mintages were crude imitations of their imperial archetypes. Yet with time, "national" characteristics emerged: The coins were no longer just copies but began carrying their own features. This issue is still a true copy of the coins from the Western Roman Emperor Majorian (457-461), however. It depicts the emperor's bust on the obverse, while the reverse shows a Greek cross within a wreath. The word COMOB beneath the wreath stands for "Constantinopoli obryzum," which was used as CONOB on golden East Roman coins.