PROBUS death

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Ocatarinetabellatchitchix, Oct 31, 2020.

  1. Ocatarinetabellatchitchix

    Ocatarinetabellatchitchix Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]
    Capitoline Museum

    The history
    The reign of Probus intervened at a crucial time of the Roman Empire, where it almost broke up and disappeared, with the period of the 30 usurpers, and often, the more than major action of Probus is forgotten. The testimony of its historian Flavius Vopiscus, confirmed by other authors, shows us in this soldier of obscure extraction one of the most remarkable Roman emperors: military leader and administrator of the first order, of a character both energetic and fair, simple and kind. It was him who definitively stopped the first invasion of the Barbarians, that of the third century, and allowed, behind the firmly guarded border, the organization of the administrative monarchy of the Lower Empire.
    For Probus, the soldier was not just a soldier embodying order, power and defense, he was first and foremost a being endowed with values and virtues. The soldier was to be a double of the emperor and his representative, and was to be viewed with respect. This energetic emperor therefore extended the social actions of the imperial army, by involving the Roman army in public utility works, and also by helping the populations in the different territories of the Empire. Indeed, Probus, not liking to see his troops idle, charges the soldiers with various jobs in peacetime such as planting vines, draining marshes or digging canals, charges which the soldiers find dishonorable.
    At the end of October 282 AD, around Sirmium, during an inspection of the works, he scoffs at soldiers tired of this task and provokes a violent reaction: tired of carrying out work which they consider to be uninteresting and dishonorable, some soldiers of the army Imperial decide to assassinate Probus. He was only 50 years old.

    The coinage
    Continuing the monetary reform of Aurelian, his coinage is abundant and diverse due to its various bust type and reverses, and at coin shows or in auctions you can get nice examples at very reasonable prices. Ten mints under his reign produced a considerable numbers of coins : many aurei, a few gold quinarii, very many antoniniani, a few denarii, a number of quinarii of the silver series, a few dupondii, some asses and some smaller bronze coins. Here is a little anecdote taken from RIC volume 5b :"It is not incredible that a foreign collector accumulated 10,000 coins of the reign which all differed in some details". An example to illustrate this point is my RIC 810 from Siscia; there are at least 80 varieties of this coin, all with different bust types, mintmarks, officinae, mintmark/fieldmark configuration...

    20E1577A-8EA6-4A95-B436-F16D8BDA50D0.jpeg

    Taking into account that Probus produced such a large and diverse coinage, let us be careful with the use of the term "rare" for his coins, a term very popular with all collectors. Another example with one of my coin; this RIC 846 var. from Serdica is supposedly one of the two known specimens with the short titulary...So what ?

    CA43DDAC-47D4-45BA-A2D3-1FEA25B16608.jpeg
    For all Probus' fans, here are a wonderful reference book and two website you need to consult:

    2B1B40BB-7F30-469D-AFC6-C97C99141EF6.jpeg


    https://probvs.net/probvs/

    https://www.probuscoins.fr/

    Anyway, on the day of his death, please show us your PROBUS' examples. I'm curious to see how many different specimens we will be able to display in this thread.
     
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  3. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    My favorite and most photogenic Probus:

    [​IMG]
    Probus, AD 276-282.
    Roman billon antoninianus, 4.96 g, 23.2 mm, 7 h.
    Lugdunum, fourth emission, mid-to late AD 277.
    Obv: IMP C PROBVS·P·F·AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust, right.
    Rev: ABVNDANTIA AVG, Abundantia standing right, emptying cornucopiae held in both hands; IIII (officina 4) in exergue.
    Refs: RIC 17; Bastien 195.
     
  4. zumbly

    zumbly Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

    Here's a fairly rare Siscia-only issue with a Probus-only legend, ORIGINI AVG. I'm not sure if the intention was for Siscia to claim Probus as a native son, or for Probus to claim descent from the founders of Rome.

    Probus - ORIGINI AVG 3048.jpg PROBUS
    AE Antoninianus. 3.83g, 21.7mm. Siscia mint, AD 276-282. RIC 703 (R2). O: IMP C PROBVS P F AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right. R: ORIGINI AVG, She-wolf (Lupa Romana) right, head left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus; XXIT in exergue.
     
  5. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    [​IMG]
    Probus (276 - 282 A.D.)
    Æ(S) Antoninianus
    A: IMP CM AVR PROBVS PF AVG, radiate bust in imperial mantle l., holding eagle-tipped sceptre.
    R: SOLI INVICTO / CM / XXIT, radiate Sol in spread quadriga, hand risen, holding whip.
    22mm
    3.8g
    Cyzicus, A.D. 280, 3rd officina
    RIC Vb Cyzicus 911

    [​IMG]
    Probus (276 - 282 A.D.)
    Egypt, Alexandria
    Potin Tetradrachm
    O: A K M AVP PROBOC CEB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
    R: Eagle standing right, head right, wings spread, wreath in beak; L to left, ς to right. Dated RY 6 (280/81 AD)
    Alexandria Mint
    8.19g
    20mm
    Milne 4631. Emmett 3982 (6) R1. Curtis 1872
     
  6. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

  7. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

  8. Shea19

    Shea19 Well-Known Member

    Here’s my newest Probus (with an incredibly long neck):

    3CA63717-CF3C-46C7-8AF1-D6BC57787ED0.jpeg
    Probus, Antoninianus (23 mm, 3.65 g), Rome, 276. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Probus to r./ Rev.FIDES MILIT / XXIЄ Fides standing l., holding long scepter in her r. hand and transverse signum with her l. RIC 151 var.
     
  9. Finn235

    Finn235 Well-Known Member

  10. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    I always felt that too many people of 'importance' failed to pay heed to what I would call the lesson of Probus. Probus was a great leader and general who had great successes against the then current enemies of Rome. His mistake was telling his soldiers that he looked forward to a time when Rome, at peace, would have no further need for soldiers. He put soldiers to work draining swamps (real ones not the current euphemism for the federal bureaucracy). Lets see, you tell a bunch of guys with long knives that they can look forward to menial labor and unemployment. What could possibly go wrong? We value success and honesty. Perhaps Probus would have done well to have been more moderate in those areas.

    I never know whether to post photos of my better coins that have been shown before or lesser items just because they are different. In the last ten years I have posted most of my favorite coins on CT; some have been repeated far too often. Still we have new members and I have no idea what I have posted before the most recent days. Coin Community has a utility that allows you to see all images previously posted and link them into current discussions as desired. Several of us left or cut down on our activity there years ago when they kicked out two of our favorite people. I still (rarely) visit there and post if there is something in my specialty but still consider CT 'home'. If we had the same utility here, I might have selected different Probus examples but, as it is, I hope there are some below that are not repeated so often and recently that no one wants to see them.
    rs2560bb2278.jpg rs2715bb2989.jpg rs2800fd1414.jpg rs2810bb1500.jpg rs2910b01457lg.jpg rs2984fd2082.jpg rs2990bb1956.jpg rs3030bb1497.jpg rs2540bb1372.jpg rs3070bb1501.jpg
     
  11. maridvnvm

    maridvnvm Well-Known Member

    Here is my equivalent to the Serdica coin from the OP, same legends but different bust type... I don't believe that I have ever shared this one here before.

    [​IMG]


    Do you want bust varieties of bust types, reverse types, mints, legends?

    I have enough Probus coins to kill this thread (about 700 in all and over 170 from Lugdunum alone) and so I will hold off for now. I will admit to obtaining over 25 of the RIC 810 variations.... in if you include all the variations of obverse legend of this reverse type up to RIC 816 I gathered over 60 variations of this type.

    Obsessive? Me?
     
  12. ambr0zie

    ambr0zie Dacian Taraboste

    I have only one example, in a very bad shape, acquired about 4-5 years ago when ancient coins were just a curiosity for me. The reverse is even worse so I won't post it at all.
    Obv: IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG.
    Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
    Rev: ROMAE AETERNAE
    prob.JPG
     
  13. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    PROBUS

    upload_2020-10-31_10-57-47.png
    RI Probus 276-282 CE Ant 21mm Rome mint captive on ground Riding Horse in ex R-Thunderbolt-Z RIC 155
     
  14. gsimonel

    gsimonel Well-Known Member

    I try to post examples that haven't already been posted in the current thread, although sometimes on longer threads I might miss something and post a duplicate. I don't worry too much about re-posting a coin that I posted in a different, earlier thread because I figure no one reads the exact same threads that I read and for that matter, who would bother remembering every coin I've posted?

    In any case, here's my Probus, an early (I think) depiction of Jupiter on a Roman coin:
    temp.jpg
    Billon Antoninianus
    Rome mint, A.D. 281
    Obv: IMP PROB-VS P F AVG
    Rev: IOVI CONS PROB AVG - Jupiter, standing, facing left, holding thunderbolt in right hand and scepter in left.
    R[thunderbolt]B in exergue.
    RIC 173
    22x20mm, 3.8g.
     
  15. Clavdivs

    Clavdivs Well-Known Member

  16. Sulla80

    Sulla80 Well-Known Member

    Nice coins, excellent book and website! This coin from AD 281. Here's a Probus that I like for the detail of his cuirass and helmet, not to mention the secret code:
    Probus Concord Ticinium.jpg
    Probus (276-282), AE Antoninianus, Ticinum
    Obv: VIRTVS PROBI AVG, Buste radié, casqué et cuirassé de Probus à gauche, vu de 3/4 en avant, une lance sur l'épaule droite et un bouclier couvrant l'épaule gauche. (Code buste Bastien : E1)
    Rev: CONCORD MILIT /E/-//PXXI, Em. 9, 1e off., La Concorde (Concordia) debout à gauche tenant deux enseignes militaires. (Type B)
    Rarity : Common
    Note: E in the secret code of emission 9, EQVITI
    Ref: RIC 481
     
  17. Ocatarinetabellatchitchix

    Ocatarinetabellatchitchix Well-Known Member

    Message to Doug Smith and all members: please post any of your coins anytime you want. (I wasn't here 2 years ago and certainly have missed many threads during this period.)

    If you have question about the secret code :
    https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/equiti.html
     
  18. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    PROBI

    upload_2020-10-31_12-4-53.png
    RI Probus Æ Ant 22mm 3.75g 280CE CLEMENTIA TEMP XXI Emperor receiving Victory from Jupiter UNKNOWN EASTERN MINT - fight Saturninus


    upload_2020-10-31_12-4-9.png
    RI Probus 276-282 CE BI Ant 2.80g captives l and r Cohen 768
     
  19. singig

    singig Well-Known Member

    the only Probus coin I photographed, I promise to post some other types

    Probus, antoninianus, Rome. RIC V-2 Rome 186; Sear 12027.
    IMP PROBVS AVG, radiate, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, holding spear and shield /
    ROMAE AETER, hexastyle temple with Roma seated within, holding Victory and sceptre. Mintmark R crescent gamma.
    prob1.jpg
     
  20. Ryro

    Ryro Trying to remove supporter status

    Very cool write up @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix and good reminder of the INSANE amounts of variants of his we're spoiled with:woot::wideyed:
    Here's a rarity;)
    jk,I liked the portrait and amount of silvering left: 20190416_175351_0FE4429C-903A-47AC-9490-BBED8978CA38-423-000000702D13FAB6.png
     
  21. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix I'm glad you posted about Christophe's book. He's a good friend of mine and I was happy to help at reading and correcting that interesting and informative book prior to printing.

    Seeing the same coins everyday doesn't bother me as long as they're nice and/or of interest. Please go on @dougsmit !

    [​IMG]
    Probus, Antoninianus - Siscia mint, AD 279
    IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG, radiate ust of Probus left, wearing imperial mantle (bust type H)
    SOLI INVICTO, Sol in quadriga, XXIT at exergue
    3.77 gr
    Ref : Cohen #662, RCV # 12038 var, RIC 767


    [​IMG]
    Probus, antoninianus - Rome mint, AD 278-280
    IMP PROBVS AVG, Radiate and cuirassed bust of Probus right
    VICTORIA GERM, Two captives under a trophy. R*A at exergue
    4.32 gr
    Ref : RIC #222, RCV #12055, Cohen #768


    [​IMG]
    Probus, Tetradrachm - Alexandria mint AD 277
    A K M AVPTTPBOC CEB, Laureate and cuirassed bust of Probus right
    Eagle right, head left, holding wreath in beak. LB in field (regnal year 2)
    6,69 gr
    Ref : Sear #4773v, Emmett #3983/2

    Q
     
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