Coins of the Dark Ages (400-800 AD) 484-496 n. Chr. Vandal AE4 with chi-rho, Gunthamund or another King, Migration Period

Corrupt letters, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust facing right and surrounded by mostly illegible legend // Chi Rho within a wreath. 12mmx9mm, 0.72 grams. Carthage mint? BMC Vandal#29; MIB I# 15; Grierson #33. 

The Vandal Kingdom ruled North Africa after conquering Carthage in 439 CE and issued its own bronze coinage largely based on late Roman models. These Vandalic bronzes were typically small, low-value imitations of imperial AE issues, often featuring simplified portraits and corrupted inscriptions that copied late-4th and 5th century Roman emperors. While they maintained Roman monetary forms for practical use in trade and taxation, their crude style reflects both the decline of imperial minting standards in the region and the transitional nature of Vandal rule in the post-Roman western Mediterranean.