Just added this solidus to my collection. I’d been wanting one that shows the emperor in side profile for some time, and I was waiting for the right example to appear within Australia. Valentinian III, while hardly an admirable figure, he is certainly the last Western Roman emperor whose coins can still be acquired without winning the lottery. It’s remarkable how these ineffective nepo kids (Honorius included) managed to survive and rule for decades without getting the stab. They don’t strike me as men who would have put up much of a fight if confronted, I can easily see someone like Caracalla, or many of the third-century emperors, at least resisting before going down had they not been stabbed in the back. Flavius Placidus Valentinianus (Valentinian III) AV Solidus 4.45g, 19mm Comitatus mint (“Field Army mint”) in Rome 425-426 AD. Obv: Pearl and rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Valentinian III facing to the right, “DN PLA VALENTINIANVS PF AVG". Rev: Valentinian III stands forward, crowned, cuirassed and draped and holding long cross in right hand and Victoria surmounting globe in left, his right foot raised on human-headed serpent, mint mark “R M” to field either side, mint name and purity “COM OB” in exergue, legend surrounds, “VICTORIA AVGGG”. RIC X-2006; Depeyrot-46/1; Cohen-19. Ex Colonial coins & Medals (Australia). Can anyone tell me what exactly a 'Comitatus mint' mean? and also how the date range for this coin was determined? It’s interesting to observe how Roman coin portraits evolved over the centuries. From the veristic busts of the early Empire, to increasingly standardised imperial images with legends such as Dominus Noster, marking the shift away from the ideal of the emperor as princeps or “first citizen.” This was followed by portraits depicting emperors in full military attire, and ultimately by fully forward-facing, almost god-like figures, with a strong emphasis on Christianity. Thank you, and please share your coins from the 5th century.
