Trebonianus Gallus was the only emperor of the mid third century that did not become emperor as a result of civil war or regicide. Rather, his predecessor, Trajan Decius, was killed in battle against the Goths at Abrittus in June, AD 251. Decius' elder son, Herennius Etruscus, fell with him, leaving the younger son, Hostilian, who held the rank of Caesar, to manage the family fortune in Rome. Trebonianus Gallus, the Governor of Moesia, was acclaimed emperor by troops in the field. Circumstances forced him to buy peace from the Goths at a very high price and he quickly returned to Rome. There, he elevated Hostilian to Augustus and accepted him as a colleague, and gave his own son, Volusian, the rank of Caesar. Shortly thereafter, Hostilian died of the Cyprian Plague and Volusian was elevated to Augustus to serve as co-emperor with his father. Gallus was quick to use coins for political purposes and his first issue included an antoninianus with the inscription MARS PACIFER (Mars the peace bringer) "to put a good light on the peace bought from the Goths" (Mattingly, RIC IV.3, p. 156). Another of Gallus' first-issue coins, PROVIDENTIA AVG(G) (the foresight of the emperor(s)), "may reflect on the happy settlement of the question of the succession" (ibid.). The PROVIDENTIA antoniniani are quite scarce and few come on the market. The coins were struck with two reverse inscriptions, PROVIDENTIA AVG and PROVIDENTIA AVGG. Although present in roughly equal numbers in the Dorchester Hoard, the AVGG type is more common in the numismatic trade. Some have proposed that the AVG coins come from the very short period before Hostilian was elevated to Augustus (Mattingly, op. cit., pp. 153, 156, 189). Alternatively, and less likely, they may have been struck during the period after Hostilian's death but before Volusian's elevation. Providentia is the personification of foresight and is most often depicted under the form of a female, clothed as a Roman matron, holding in her left hand a cornucopiae or the hasta pura, and in her right a short wand, with which she either touches or points to a globe. Sometimes she holds this globe in her right hand; at other times it lies at her feet. Occasionally, this globe bears an equinoctial cross, identifying it as the celestial globe, but more typically, it appears as a simple round ball. Here is the example of the type in my own collection: Trebonianus Gallus, AD 251-253. Roman AR antoninianus, 3.81 g, 21.6 mm, 12 h. Rome, 2nd officina, 1st emission, AD 251. Obv: IMP CAE C VIB TREB GALLVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: PROVIDENTIA AVGG: Providentia, draped, standing left, holding globe in right hand and transverse scepter in left hand. Refs: RIC 44; Cohen/RSC 103; RCV 9644; Hunter p. cv. Here are coins depicting Providentia with slightly different attributes and poses. Note the presence of the globe is de rigueur, while her other attributes are optional. Maximinus I, AD 235-238. Roman AR denarius, 3.13 g, 19.2 mm, 6 h. Rome, 2nd emission, AD 236. Obv: IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: PROVIDENTIA AVG, Providentia standing left, holding baton and cornucopiae; globe at feet. Refs: RIC 13; BMCRE 86-88; Cohen 77; RSC 77a; RCV 8315; MIR 11-3. Note: The globe bears an equinoctial cross, identifying it as the celestial globe. Trajan, AD 98-117. Roman AR denarius, 3.20 g, 18.3 mm, 6 h. Rome, AD 117. Obv: IMP CAES NER TRAIAN OPTIM AVG GERM DAC, laureate and draped bust, right. Rev: PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R, Providentia, draped, standing left, pointing with right hand at large globe left, and holding vertical scepter in left, left elbow resting on column; PRO VID left and right in field. Refs: RIC 361; BMCRE 640-44; Cohen 313; RCV 3154; Woytek 580v; UCR 764; Wulfing 712. Gallienus, AD 253-268. Roman billon antoninianus, 3.45 g, 19.3 mm, 5 h. Mediolanum, AD 260-268. Obv: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: PROVIDENTIA AVG, Providentia standing left and leaning on column, holding short wand and cornucopiae; globe at her feet. Refs: Göbl 1086aa; Toffanin 146/1. Let's see your coins of T-Bone, coins with Providentia, or anything else you feel is relevant!
..since i've only one coin of Treb. Gal., (and we all know familiarity breeds boredom), i'll post my sest. of Volusian for RC's T-Bone thread today..
Volusian (251-253 A.D.) AE Sestertius, 29 mm 16 grams, Rome mint Obverse: IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right Reverse: FELICITAS PVBLICA S-C, Felicitas standing left, leaning on column, holding caduceus and sceptre. Reference: RIC 251a, Cohen 35, Sear 9786.
Elegabalus - PROVID DEORVM Providentia standing left with cornucopia and globe. Maximinus I - PROVIDENTIA AVG Providentia standing left, holding wand over globe and cornucopiae. Gordian III - PROVIDENTIA AVG Providentia standing left holding globe and scepter.
Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD). AE Sestertius (32,4 mm, 23.08 g), Rome, 165/166 AD. Obv. M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG ARMENIACVS P M, Laureate head to right. Rev. TR POT XX IMP III COS III / S-C, Providentia standing left, pointing with wand at globe and holding scepter. BMC 1279; RIC 923 Marcus Aurelius AR Denarius, RIC 73 Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD). AR Denarius Roma (Rome), 162-163. Obv. IMP M ANTONINVS AVG, laureate head to right. Rev. PROV DEOR TR P XVII COS III, Providentia Standing left, Holding cornucopiae and globe. RIC 73. Cohen 525.
I have no Trebonianus Gallus with Providentia, I'm afraid. But these two coins show Providentia with globe and cornucopia. Neither globe appears to have anything inscribed on it. The second one is shaped more like a pineapple than a globe: Marcus Aurelius AR Denarius, 161-62 AD; Obv: Bare head right, IMP M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG / Rev. Providentia stdg. left holding globe & cornucopiae, PROV DEOR TR P XVI COS III. RIC III 50, RSC II 519. 17 mm., 3.3 g. Lucius Verus AR Denarius 161-162 AD. Obv. Bare head right, IMP L AUREL VERVS AVG/ Rev. Providentia standing left holding globe and cornucopiae, PROV DEOR TR P II COS II. RIC III 482, RSC II 155. 16 mm., 3.59 g. But, although the presence of the globe with Providentia is supposed to be de rigueur, it's missing from these two later coins. Does anyone have any idea why the globe disappeared? Numerian, AE Antoninianus, Feb/Mar 283 [promotion to Augustus] - Nov. 284 [death of Numerian], Ticinum Mint [now Pavia, Italy] (6th Officina). Obv. Radiate and cuirassed bust right, IMP NVMERIANVS P F AVG / Rev. Providentia standing facing, head left, holding corn ears with right hand over modius at feet left, and holding cornucopiae in right arm, PROVIDENT AVGG; in exergue, VIXXI [6th Officina, 20/1 copper/silver ratio of alloy]. RIC V-2 447, Sear RCV III 12253, Cohen 83, Pink [Karl Pink 1949] p. 29, Series 4. 22.6 mm., 4.15 g. Ex. Pegasi Numismatics, Auction 41, Dec. 11, 2019, Lot 627. Formerly in NGC slab, Cert. No. 5768552-009, Graded AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface 4/5.) [For dating, see http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Carus.] Diocletian, billon abdication Follis, 305-307 AD, Trier Mint. Obv. Laureate bust right in imperial mantle (trabea), holding olive branch and mappa, D N DIOCLETIANO BAEATISSIMO SEN AVG / Rev. Providentia standing right, holding [scroll or short scepter?] and drapery with left hand and extending right hand to Quies standing left, holding branch downward with right hand and leaning on scepter with left hand, S - F across fields, PROVIDENTIA DEORVM QVIES AVGG; PTR in exergue. 27x28 mm., 9.6 gm. RIC VI Trier 673a (p. 208), Sear RCV IV 12927. [Die match to example sold by Numismatik Naumann in 2015; see https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=2337893.] Unhappily, my one and only Treb Gallus depicts Felicitas: Trebonianus Gallus, AR Antoninianus. 251-253 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, IMP CAE C VIB TREB GALLVS AVG/ Rev. Felicitas standing left, leaning against column, holding short caduceus and transverse scepter, FELICITAS PVBLICA. RIC IV-3 34a, RSC IV 41. Scarce. 22mm, 3.46g.
It's weird when the attributes of a reverse image directly contradict the identification signified by the legend. I think most would go with the personification indicated by the legend, regardless of the attributes. Except for Virtus legends, which can't signify Virtus herself when the personification depicted is male (e.g., the emperor or Mars), and instead generally signify the emperor or Mars reflecting the qualities of "Virtus." But this is a different kind of situation -- an image of one female personification identified by the name of another.
Why not a Victorinus (again) with Providentia holding baton & cornucopia, globe at foot ? This is the last issue (271 AD) of the Cologne mint.
I don't know how rare are Quintillus coins - I wanted to leave this for a different topic but I remembered it now. Bought it for a low price, about 1 year before I started collecting ancient coins in an organized way. I don't see his coins too often in auctions. RIC V Quintillus 29 Obv Legend: IMP C M AVR CL QVINTILLVS AVG Rev Type: Providentia, draped, standing left, holding baton in right hand and sceptre in left hand; at her feet, globe Legend: PROVIDENTIA AVG MintMark: -/ς//-
Quintillus certainly isn’t COMMON.... you’re hard pressed to find an example for less than $50, when compared to his bro which are dime a dozen
for this coin, the legend explains that we only have the abundance of Annona due to the providence/ foresight of the emperors.
