Gallienus' parents: Valerian I and Mariniana

Not new purchases, but it has been a bit since we've had a thread on either of these two. It's interesting to note that although these coins were issued about the same time and by the same issuing authority, the price of the former was about 1/40th of the latter!

Poor Valerian! When he revolted against Aemilian, he inherited a mess. His reign (AD 253-260) became a turning point in Roman history, both political and economic (and hence, numismatic). Uranius Antoninus and his forces held out in Emesa until Valerian could eliminate them in AD 254. Meanwhile, the eastern provinces fell victim to Persian aggression, with Antioch itself falling into Persian hands in AD 256. Not only that, but much of Asia Minor were attacked by Goths, who sacked many important cities, such as Nicomedia, Nicaea, and Ephesus. Valerian's reign came to an unseemly end in AD 260, when Valerian himself was captured by the Sassanid Shapur in Mesopotamia.

Such events had long-term consequences for the Roman economy. The great majority of provincial mints ceased production, their final issues being for Valerian and his family. The Roman state, bankrupt as it was, could no longer issue silver coins, even at very debased levels. The traditional bronze denominations of as, dupondius, and sestertius essentially came to a halt. This currency situation lasted until after AD 270, under the reforms of Aurelian, by which time most of the provincial mints had been closed for more than a decade, and there was no revival of provincial coinage.

Mariniana, the wife of the hapless emperor, apparently died before her husband's accession, as all of her coins were issued posthumously and bear the obverse inscription DIVAE MARINIANAE and the reverse inscription CONSECRATIO.

Post your coins of Valerian I and/or Mariniana!


Valerian I, AD 253-260
Roman billon antoninianus; 3.29 g, 20.2 mm
Rome, AD 257
Obv: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS P F AVG, radiate, draped bust, right
Rev: P M TR P V COS IIII P P, emperor seated left, holding globe and scepter
Refs: RIC 142c; Cohen 166; RCV 9961; Hunter p. xxxiv.



Mariniana, died AD 253, wife of Valerian and mother of Gallienus
Roman AR Antoninianus, 3.04 g; 23.5 mm
Rome mint, AD 253-257
Obv: DIVAE MARINIANAE, veiled, draped bust r., on crescent.
Rev: CONSECRATIO, peacock standing facing, head l., tail in splendor.
Refs: RIC 3; Cohen 3; RCV 10067; Temeryazev & Makarenko 560; Eauze Hoard-1318 (23 spec.); Cunetio Hoard-646 (22 spec.)

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Very nice post and write-up!

I enjoy the History that you laid out, and it makes it very enjoyable to follow the Trail with coins as Place-markers in History...

I collect Roman Republic, but am assembling Albums of the Roman Rulers so that I can share them with my Grandkids. Most folks ignore the Republic's long history, but they seem enamored with the Empire period...

USURPED:

RI Aemilianus 253 CE AE24 Viminacium mint Moesia Bull-Lion - Damnatio Memoriae


V1 - WIFEY:

RI Mariniana AR Ant 253-254 CE Crescent - On Peacock flying 21.2mm 3.1g RIC VII 6 Rome

VALERIAN I:

RI Valerian I 253-260 CE AR Ant Felicitas stndg Caduceus and Cornucopia


RI Valerian I 253-260 CE AE 20mm Alexandria Troas mint Horse Grazing

The SON:

RI Gallienus 253-268 CE Ant Hercules

WIFE of the SON:

RI Salonina wife of Gallienus 254-268 CE AE Ant 3.61g 20mm Rome mint 267-268 CE crescent Deer Walking delta RIC 15

GRANDSON:

RI Valerian II 256-258 CE Silvered Ant PRINCIP IVVENTVS

 

Cool! All you need is a Saloninus!

 

Oh Yeah... OTHER Grandson...

SALONINUS:

SALONINUS. (AD 258-260) Antoninianus, 2.30g. Cologne. PIETAS AVG Relatively scarce


RI Saloninus 259 BI Ant Stndg Globe Spear Captive at feet

 

Other Grandson:
Saloninus is common as Caesar but rare as Augustus. He was killed by Postumus.

 

Need a Saloninus - and my Valerian is crap, need an upgrade. Hopefully earlier in the reign rather than later, when the coins still were "silver".

 

I picked up this Valerian, depicting a bridge Cilicia, Mopsuestia-Mopsus 255/6 AD, 31mm, 14.43gm, SNG NB 1998

 

My best Valerian Ant

Valerian tet just over 10g




Saloninus

 

In my view, it was a lucky escape for Mariniana that she died when she did! (So far she has also escaped my collection.)

I'll add Shapur I (the capturer):


Here is my favourite Valerian portrait coin:


And a nicely ironic type (restorer of the East ::cough, cough:: ), Samosata mint, 256 AD:

 

Yeah, we have to toss in Shapur I due to that Valerian I guy...

Since I see SEVERAL AR's of Sasanians, I opted for an AE version:


Sassanian Shapur I 240-272 CE AE Tetradrachm 10.78g 27mm Ctesiphon mint phase 1a mural crown korymbos - fire altar type 2 SNS IIa1-1a

 

Interesting story...and coins !

Here's my contribution : Mr & Ms Valerian


Valerian, Antoninianus Rome mint, AD 253-255
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
FIDES MILITVM, Fides Militum standing left, holding two standards
3.66 gr
Ref : RCV # 9938(45), Cohen # 65



Valerian, Sestertius Rome mint, AD 253-255
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
VIRTVS AVGG, Virtus or Mars standing left resting on shield and holding spear. S - C in field
18.7 gr
Ref : RCV # 10025v, Cohen # 269



Valerian, As Rome mint, AD 255-258
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS P F AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt and scepter. S - C in field
10.0 gr
Ref : RCV # 10032, Cohen # 96



Diva Mariniana, Antoninianus Viminacum mint, AD 253-254
DIVAE MARINIANAE, veiled, diademed and draped bust right, above a crescent
CONSECRATIO, peacock walking right, its tail in splendor
4.0 gr
Ref : Cohen # 11, RCV # 10069, RIC # 5, Eauze Hoard #1429, 3 specimens
Thanks to Curtisclay for additionnnal informations


Not mine anymore :

Diva Mariniana, Sestertius - 0350 Rome mint, AD 253-254
DIVAE MARINIANAE, veiled and draped bust right
CONSECRATIO, Peacok standing facing, head left, with tail in splendor, S-C in field
16.0 gr
Ref : RCV # 10073 (misreading Hunter), Hunter # 8v, RIC # 9v, Cohen # 7v


Mr & Ms Gallienus and their sons


Gallienus, Sestertius Rome mint, AD 253-255
IMP C P LIC GALLIENVS AVG, Laureate and draped and cuirassed bust of Gallienus right
CONCORDIA EXERCIT, Concordia standing left, holding double cornucopia and patera.
18.5 gr
Ref : RIC # 209, Göbl # 15dd, Cohen #132, RCV #10467



Salonina, Sestertius Rome mint, AD 256-260
CORNELIA SALONINA AVG, Diademed and draped bust of Salonina right
IVNO REGINA, Juno standing left, with patera and sceptre, SC in field
20.05 gr
Ref : RIC # 46, RCV #10679, Cohen #62



Valerian II, Antoninianus Rome mint, AD 258
DIVO CAES VALERIANO, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Valerianus junior right
CONSECRATIO, altar
2.88 gr
Ref : RCV # 10608, RIC # 24, RSC # 13



Saloninus, Middle bronze Rome mint, AD 258-260
LIC COR SAL VALERIANVS N CAES, draped bust right
PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS, Saloninus standing left holding globe and spear. A captive at his feet. S - C in field Mintmark ? at exergue
7.1 gr
Ref : RCV # 10778 v, Cohen # 90, RIC # 34

Q

 

I would like to take the opportunity of this thread to present the last book I bought, which is relevant to the subject of Valerian and his family.

"Recherches sur la crise politique, militaire, économique et monétaire au milieu du IIIe siècle apr. J.-C.

LES ANTONINIENS EMIS SOUS LE REGNE CONJOINT DES EMPEREURS VALERIEN ET GALLIEN", Bruno BOURDEL, 154p., IIIMONETAE, 2017.



Although it's written in french (which is quite easy reading for me ) I really think it may be useful for any III century coin collector. The index (I would have prefered it to be at the begining of the book, but anyway, it's where it is) allows to find any reverse and match it with the corresponding obverse and emission.

Here are a summary and an example of how it's presented






Hope some of you will find it useful too.
Edit to add : as some of you PM'd me to get a link in case they would want to purchase their example, here it is : http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/monant

Q

 

Great collection, and all quality coins.

 

Another thread full of spectacular coins.

 

This Gallienus / SECVRIT PERPET is not spectacular but it is a bit less usual than others shown here. Can anyone see why?

 

DIVAE MARINIANAE
veiled bust r. on crescent, without diadem
CONSECRATIO
empress waves while riding on left side of peacock in flight to the right.
RIC 6 (253-258)


Previously it had been assumed that Egnatius Victor Marinianus, Legatus of Arabia Petraea and Moesia Superior, was the father of Mariniana. More recently however, it has been postulated that she was the daughter of Lucius Egnatius Victor (suffect consul before AD 207) and therefore sister of Egnatius Victor Marinianus.[1]

This was the opinion of Inge Mennen writing in Power and Status in the Roman Empire 193-284; (Brill: Leiden, 2011). On p.72 she notes, "The sister of the Hedii Lolliani who were consules ordinarii in 209 and 211 married one of the Egnatii (Egnatius Victor, consul suffectus before 207.) Their daughter, (Egnatia) Mariniana married the future emperor Publius Licinius Valerianus and gave birth to the future emperor Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus. Although the name Lollianus thus disappears from the consular fasti after 225, the family merged with the Egnati and later with the Licinii. In this way the family remained important, though less prominent, until Gallienus was killed in 268 and probably took most of his relatives down with him."

Several coins bearing the obverse legend DIVAE MARINIANAE date back to the beginning (253-258) of the reign of Valerian and Gallienus. Given the practice of deifying the wives who died before their husbands' assumption of the Principate, it is possible that Mariniana died before AD 253. All of the coins listed in RIC bear only this obverse legend. The bust of the empress rests on a crescent, facing right with one of two hair styles, i.e. veiled with or without diadem.

With but one very rare exception, two reverse types of the antoniniani for Mariniana share the CONSECRATIO reverse inscription. These are the same types as we saw earlier with Empress Paulina. The exception is a reverse featuring Felicitas standing left holding a caduceus and cornucopia under the words FELICIT DEORVM. The most commonly seen CONSECRATIO reverse features a depiction of the apotheosis of Mariniana (the elevation to divine status) in which the figure of the Empress rides the sacred bird of Juno, the peacock, in skyward flight. (see example above) Usually the empress is seen riding on the left side of the bird which is flying to the right, but RIC notes that the opposite orientation also exists, yet groups both types under a single number, i.e. RIC 6.

Less commonly seen, but more diverse in its form, is the CONSECRATIO type featuring a peacock standing in splendor, fan tail, looking either to right or left. These occur with or without diadem on the obverse. There is also a rare variant in which the bird is walking right, and the empress wears a diadem. (see post by Cucumbor above).

DIVAE MARINIANAE
veiled bust r. on crescent, with diadem
CONSECRATIO
peacock stands in splendor facing right.RIC 4 (253-258)

 

Wonderful posts everyone!!

The OP write-up was terrific!!

Hmm, I seem to have captured two of Saloninus as Caesar....

 

Very nice RC!
I can serve up a single Valerian I, but it also has Gallienus on the reverse. The rest of the family is still on the list!



Valerian antoninianus , AD 257

O: Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, IMP VALERIANVS AVG, R: Valerian and Gallienus standing facing one another, each holding shield set on ground; two spears between in background, P M TR P V COS IIII P P RIC V, 277. Antioch mint. 5th emission. 21 mm, 3.2 g

 

It's a denarius rather than an ant.? (But you didn't give us the size and weight...)

Absolutely stellar thread here, I've really enjoyed it!