The Franks, the Merovingians, a triens (tremissis) with a hole, 7th century, mint unknown.
Obv. Head facing left, legend.
Rev. Cross within a border, legend.
Gilded silver, 1.19 g, 13.0 mm.
Condition II, very rare
A coin difficult to identify due to the difficulty in deciphering the legend, which did not fit on the coin. The fact that trienses with a head or bust facing left are much rarer than those with the figure facing right does not make the matter any easier. A similarly grotesque portrait appears on a piece attributed to the mint of Allonnes, i.e., Sarthe in the territory of Civitas Cenomanorum (https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=10618129). The identification of the coin offered here with this region may be supported by a fragment of the obverse legend resembling a mirror image of the name CEN. However, this is only a hypothesis that requires further in-depth study. A very well-preserved and interesting coin.
