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We publish the results of measurements of specific gravity by Peter Bartlett on 23 of 32 known coins of the rare Byzantine tremissis coinage minted in Spania at Cartagena or Malaga from the mid sixth century to about 625. These results are compared with other largely unpublished analyses of Visigothic coins of the same period. The fineness declined gradually over time from Justinian (c. 90 %) to Heraclius (c. 72 %). This decline followed, but was always behind, that of the fineness of the Visigothic coinage. It is likely that the Byzantines were measuring the gold content of the circulating Visigothic coins and adjusting their coinage alloy to make it acceptable in the area of Southern Iberia. Of course, they may have reminted Visigothic coins without adjusting the alloy. The estimation of the size of the coinage, obviously very uncertain due to the low numbers, suggests that is was much smaller that that of the Visigoths and that is was of the order of ten times larger in the period of Justinian to Maurice than it was later under Phocas and Heraclius.
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