A local metal detectorist found a rare Roman coin from AD 270-274 near Darlington, shedding light on a turbulent era.
Mark discovered cool things, including Roman coins and old cannonballs. His latest find is very small: a Roman coin called “Barbarous Radiate.”
This coin dates back to Emperor Tetricus’ time, when he ruled the Gallo-Roman area. Mark needed to research the coin because it wasn’t an official government issue.
These coins came from troubled times, marked by serious political problems and many military conflicts. Mark made this exciting discovery near Darlington.
The coin looks unimpressive, yet it dates from AD 270-274. It’s a “Barbarous Radiate” coin imitation from the period of the “Crisis of the Third Century.”
Gaul and Rome fought intensely then, and Britain and France lacked enough official coins. So, people made their own. These coins weren’t really forgeries.
They weren’t usually deceitful copies but simply imitated the standard Roman coins. People saw them as small change, similar to our copper coins today.