The greatest emperor you've never heard of: Marcus Aurelius Marius

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first press conference of the reign of our new glorious Romano-Gallic emperor, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Marius....


Gallic Empire
Marius
Ae Antoninianus
Mainz or Trier Mint
Obverse: IMP C M AVR MARIVS AVG: Radiate bust of Marius right.R
ReverseVICTORIA AVG: Victory advancing right holding palm.

Now, I know what you are going to say: "But Mr. Sallent, Marius has only been ruling for 3 days, how can you declare an emperor great in 3 days?" And you'll probably remind me that Marius' previous career was as a blacksmith, and that he murdered our former emperor, Postumus, the founder of our Gallic Empire.


Postumus
AR antoninianus

To all of that vicious slander l say....true! However, Marius just wrote me a large check to be his propaganda mouthpiece, and that many denarii sure does buy some nice fake news.... Besides, Postumus lost the Spanish silver mines to the Roman invaders, and he refused to let the soldiers sack Moguntiacum instead so they could receive the pay that was owed to them. Therefore, he had to go! Our glorious Marius allowed our soldiers to sack Moguntiacum, and he will.....Excuse me a second ladies and gentlemen.

Assistant: "Sir, Marius' check just bounced!"
Sallent: Bounced? Exactly what are you trying to say?
Assistant: "Marius is so poor this check bounced higher than the cast of Baywatch".

Well ladies and gentlemen, as I was saying before I was interrupted, Victorinus is the greatest Romano-Gallic emperor in the world. He is brave, handsome, and most importantly his checks don't bounce. Just don't leave your wives or daughters unattended around Victorinus, or anything female for that matter, but other than that... All hail our glorious Emperor Victorinus, death to the usurper Marius.


Victorinus
Ae Antoninianus

 

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Very nice. I do not have a Marius, but....
Postumus

Victorinus

 

very good big O.....on collecting 3rd century Roman emperors and related coins, one may never run out of coins to collect... and man, portraits on coins look like all these guys could've been brothers...

 

Nice Postumus and Victorinus coins. I don't blame you for not going after a Marius. His coins are usually in poor condition and the price tags associated with them are not exactly cheap. Not everyone wants to pay that much for a rough and worn coin of a short-lived usurper when you can get some seriously nice coins for the same price.

But I can't call myself a fan of the Third Century Crisis era and not have a Marius. That just wouldn't do.

 

Good reason for it, Marius and Victorinus didn't last very long. Marius had the shortest of reigns too, probably only a few weeks. So most celators probably used a modified version of Postumus to depict Marius, and I bet coins of Victorinus' early reign probably look more like Postumus than his later issues.

 

LOVE the Marius celebration! Great write up and cool coins!!!

Marius
269 CE. Antoninianus


LAELIANUS!!
269 CE. Antoninianus (19
MM, 2.66 gm). Mint city II
(Cologne). Radiate and
cuirassed bust right / Victory
advancing right, holding
palm and wreath. RIC V 9;
AGK 1c; Gilljam dies IX/54

 

Here's a couple, though I don't have a Marius. These guys are Postumus and Victorinus...

 

Excellent quality coins @Sallent ! Once again, GOOD eye! This is an interesting juncture in Roman History.

GALLIC EMPIRE:

USURPER LAELIANUS:


RI Laelianus 269 CE AE Ant 19mm 3.4g Moguntiacum rad cuir - VICTORIA AVG Victory wreath palm branch RIC 9 Sear 3151-bkgrnd

Postumus:

RI Postumus 259-268 CE Antoninianus Oriens Cologne


RI Postumus struck by Aureolus 268 CE Revolt of Milan Concordia


RI Marius 269 Gallic Usurper BI Ant CONCORD MILIT Clasped Hands

Victorinus:

RI Victorinus 269-270 CE BI Ant Gallic Empire Salus

Tetricus I:

RI Tetricus I 271-274 CE Ant LAETITIA

Tetricus II:

RI Tetricus II 273-274 CE BI Ant SPES w Flower

 

Wow, you have Laelianus. Now that's real commitment to the Gallic cause. You deserve a trophy for your top notch collection of Gallic rarities and beauties. Too bad there isn't a trophy for #1 Gallic Collection, or is there?

 

OMG, LOL!!! Thanks!

I may not always have quality, but I do enjoy hitting all the Historical points... fun.

How about the Regular Roman Empire Emperors during the Gallic Empire time-span?

Valerian I (the Screw-up):

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

His Grandson (thanks @dougsmit ):

RI Valerian II 256-258 CE Silvered Ant PRINCIP IVVENTVS

Gallienus:

Gallienus Silvered Æ Ant CE 263-264 AVG rad cuiras R Hercules R lion skin club star RIC 673

Saloninus:

SALONINUS CE 258-260 Antoninianus 2.30g. Cologne PIETAS AVG Relatively scarce

Claudius Gothicus:

Claudius Gothicus, CE 268-270
antoninianus, Rome
24 x 21 mm, 2.3 gm
Obv: IMP CLAVDIVS AVG; radiate bust right
Rev: FORTVNA REDVX; Fortuna standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia; Z in left field
Ref: RIC 41

Quintillus:

RI Quintillus 270 CE Ant - Rome mint - Radiate-Victoria Obv-Rev RIC Vi 33

Aurelian:

RI Aurelian 270-275 CE AE Ant Concordia-Milit

And he even cleaned up the Palmyra mess too...

RI Vabalathus 271-272 CE and Aurelian AE Ant

 

That is a fantastic collection @Alegandron . I still have quite a few holes to fill in for the crisis of the 3rd century. Some I've sort of given up on because I don't feel like sinking in the money required to fill them, such as Gordian I and Gordian II. I'd definitely would love them, but I can think of 10 better things to spend $10,000 on than them...and 3 of those things are vacations to places I've always wanted to go (which beats any coin any day).

Anyway, out of those that I am trying to get, I've still got a ways to go, but I've made some progress in this area over the last year.

Here is a super bargain Valerian I I picked up from @Mat




Here is a Gallienus tet from Alexandria




Here is a Salonina I picked up from our dear friend Stevex6, whom will always be missed.




Here is a Claudius Gothicus that I was gifted from someone whom asked to remain anonymous. I love it because of the quality control issues (flan is way too small). It kind of fits in with the frantic times this coin was struck.




And a decent Aurelian which I got also from @Mat .

 

Oh! GI &GII... nope, I just have the Grandson/Nephew! Someday I will target them...


RI Gordian III 238-244 CE AE As 25mm Hercules S-C

And, I do have one of those Saloninas:

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

 

Good coins and story !

Here are your three lads


Postumus, Antoninianus
IMP C POSTVMVS PF AVG, radiate and draped bust right
VICTORIA AVG, Victoria advancing left, captive at her feet
3.65 gr
Ref : Cohen # 377,



Marius, Antoninianus Mint #2 : Köln or Mainz
MP C M AVR MARIVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
VICT - ORIA AVG, Victory walking left, holding wreath and palm
3,2 gr
Ref : RIC # 17, RCV # 11124, Cohen # 21 (20Fr), Schulzki 7a



Victorinus, Antoninianus
IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right
INVICTVS, Sol advancing left. Star in left field
2.7 gr
Ref : Cohen # 49, RCV # 11170

Q

 

Grandson and older brother of Saloninus.

I fear the Ashmolean has the best Gallic collection at least until one of us gets a Domitian II. Or was the sale ever decided?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/3518621.stm

 

There are those who believe the three day part of the Marius story is a piece of fiction with three months being more likely an certainly more in line with the number of coins. The historians on whom all this is based were a century later and not known for accuracy.

 

I think any of us has greater odds of winning the lottery than ever owning a Domitian II considering the only two that exist are in museums.

But hey, I keep hoping a metal detectorist in Britain will soon get a hit, and discover a hoard of 600 Domitian II coins, and that at least 200 to 300 will make the private collector's market. You never know.

 

wow! poor dude who found the 1st one..took 100 years to find another and give him credence!

 

Very smart, very realistic OP argument. History is what the victors like.

 

victors rewrite history...

 

All the lovely coins have inspired me to share my remaining Gallic coins.

Another Postumus




Tetricus I



Tetricus II