I was not planning to post this until tomorrow but another thread provided the information that Steve would not see it if I waited so here goes: I did not have a Marius before last week. He is one of the least important people in Roman history being just a usurper after the death of one Gallic Emperor (Postumus , technically a usurper) before the reign of another Gallic Emperor (Victorinus, all Gallics were technically usurpers). History says he reigned three days but the number of his coins suggests three months is closer. He reigned in a time they were making as many coins in a day at a mint as any other time so his coins are not nearly as rare as some people would like you to believe but he still is worth more than the common Gallics (but not Laelianus or Domitianus to be sure). I had never before found one in a price bracket I would accept and benefited from the good practice of a dealer selling for a reasonable advance over what he paid rather than trying to milk every last cent out of every sale. Often I leave a dealer with a comment like 'until next time' but dealers who sell decent coins for decent prices tend to get visited again rather than only when desperation drives. This is not the nicest Marius I've seen. It is not even the nicest Marius that the dealer had for sale. It is, however, the one that followed me home.
oh wow, a marius coin, thats fantatic. i've never actaully laid eyes on one of these. that was one heck of a trip you had there DS!
Another ruler I have never heard of... What is the description of the reverse? Also, cool coin! (I like Gallics..)
WC, i had to look up the reverse, it is a variation of victory heading to the left...she's holding a palm branch in her left hand.
People who write coin descriptions tend not to be very creative. This is "Victory left with wreath and palm." The large wreath is weak on mine and takes up a large space between the O and R of VICTORIA. The palm is very curved as is the body of Victory making the whole effect rather like Victory is struggling against a heavy wind. I'll expand my opinion of the man: Marius is about as inconsequential a ruler as ever issued a Roman coin. He may have lasted three months rather than three days but I'm not sure I see how history would have been altered ha he never lived. There were several other equally insignificant self-proclaimed rulers and a couple of them issued coins so Marius may be the most common absolute nobody in the Roman catalog. I wonder how many others lived and died but did so with neither written notice or a single surviving coin. I wonder why Marius' Victory is more curved than most. I wonder too much.
http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=51655 Above is a nicer one with clear wreath. Marius also has more normal standing Victories as well as 'advancing' models. My coin is rather eroded making me wonder if it spent time in water. There I go wondering again.
