ObverseImage: Wikimedia Commons · Unknown authorUnknown author · CC0
Ostrogothic Solidus
Italy
493–553
Reference data compiled from public catalogs
Estimated Melt Value
$626.30
Based on Gold spot price ($4,809.91/oz) · 90.0% purity · 4.5g
Updated 8:52 AM
Collector premium not included
Specifications
| Country | Italy |
| Years Minted | 493–553 |
| Composition | Gold |
| Weight | 4.5 g |
| Diameter | 21 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Design
Obverse
Features a bust of the Ostrogothic king, typically helmeted or diademed.
Reverse
Depicts a standing figure, often Victory, with inscriptions or symbols.
History & Notable Facts
The Ostrogothic solidus, struck in Italy from 493 to 553, maintained the exact 4.5-gram weight and 24-karat gold purity of its Roman predecessors, ensuring seamless circulation in a fractured empire.
This made it a practical tool for the Ostrogothic kings, who inherited Roman mints in cities like Rome and Ravenna. Dies often copied Byzantine styles, featuring crude portraits of rulers such as Theodoric alongside Latin inscriptions. We lack solid mintage figures—most records vanished with the fall of the kingdom.
One oddity: spotting the difference between an Ostrogothic and a Byzantine solidus can feel like distinguishing cousins at a family reunion.
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