Gold coin

The golden solidus of the Roman Emperor Valentinian III (who ruled 425–455 AD) was found in the vicinity of Karsibór, and it is a piece of a scattered treasure discovered slowly over the past decades on the western bank of the Świna river, usually during fieldworks. The first coins were discovered in 1864. The hoard contained at least 30 solidi; however, there could be much more than that. The location of all coins is unknown. The Museum in Szczecin acquired several artifacts, while private owners possess the rest. The oldest coin in the collection is Honorius solidus, minted in Milan between 395–423; the latest is the barbarian imitation of the Anastasius I solidus from the beginning of the 6th century. The hoard also contained solidi of Theodosius II, Marcian, Leon I, Zeno, Anastasius I, imitation of Honorius, and probably Ostrogothic imitation of Valentinian III. To this day, out of the whole deposit, only eight coins survived. The solidus is presumably the Ostrogothic imitation minted in Ravenna. The obverse depicts bust of the Emperor, wearing a draped robe, with a diadem on his head, and his face turned to the right. The inscription around it is illegible. The reverse presents the figure of the Emperor facing forward, with a cross in his right hand and the image of Victoria in his left hand. His right foot rest on the figure of a snake with a human head. On both sides of the Emperor figure there are worn letters R and V, and underneath his feet is the inscription COMOB. The rim of the coin bears the inscription VICTORIA AUGGG. Solidi hoards from the 5th century are found mainly in the Pomeranian Region; they were used for trading across the Baltic Sea basin.

Monika Witek