New addition to my collection. Let's see your Vetranio coins, Magnetius coins, or other relevant pieces. Vetranio, being reluctant to assume the purple in the first place, was one of the few Roman emperors to abdicate the throne and retire. Vetranio was a capable army officer and commander of the legions in Illyria and Pannonia when, on March 1, 350, he was asked by Constantina, the sister of Roman Emperor Constantius II, to proclaim himself Caesar. This was because her brother Constans had been killed by Magnentius earlier that year and she probably thought Vetranio could protect her family and herself against the usurper. Vetranio accepted and coins were minted in his name, showing the title of Augustus, rather than Caesar. Constantius II first seemed to accept Vetranio as emperor and sent him money to raise an army, as well as his regalia. However, Constantius, who was on a campaign against the Persians when Magnentius came to power, later returned to the west and met with Vetranio. Vetranio subsequently abdicated on December 25, 350. He was allowed to live the remainder of his life -- six to ten years -- as a private citizen on a state pension. Vetranio AD 350 Roman AE maiorina; 4.77 g, 24mm Siscia, AD 350 Obv: D N VETRA-NIO P F AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right; A to left Rev: CONCORDIA MILITVM, Vetranio standing left, holding labarum in each hand; star above; A to left; in exergue: •ΓSIS✷ Refs: RIC 281; LRBC 1168; Cohen 1; RCV 18903
Great story, thanks! At least some civility in this story! Your Vetranio looks great! Mine is pretty pedestrian...... RI Vetranio 350 CE AE3 17mm Siscia mint Emp stdng hldg Standard and Spear
Super coin.!! I lost out on two recent attempts to up-grade my sole example of Vetranio---no photo....it seems I already deleted it
My favorite abdicator is Diocletian (for the love of cabbages!), but Vetranio is cool too. I often wish we knew about more about these bit players of history, but I guess we should be happy we even have coins of theirs to collect. Next time, though, I'll need to make sure I at least get one where they spelt his name correctly . VETRANIO AE2. 4.93g, 24mm. Thessalonica mint, AD 350. RIC VIII 126 var (obv. legend); Hirsch 258, lot 2707; CNG inv. no. 161220. O: D N VERTAN-IO (sic) P F AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassedbust right. R: VIRTVS EXERCITVM,Emperor standing left, wearing military attire, holding labarum and shield; TSA in exergue.
Altough it's not as rare as it seemed to be 20 years ago, Vetranio isn't an easy emperor to acquire. The OP coin is nice with a very distinctive portrait to it Vetranio, AE2 Siscia mint, 3rd officina DN VETRANIO PF AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right, A - * in field HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS, Vetranio standing left, holding labarum and sceptre, recieving wreath from victory behind him. Gamma SIS at exergue 4.46 gr Ref : Cohen # 4, Roman coins # 4042, LRBC # 1174 Q
Mine is very similar to the OP coin. I got this from CNG a long time ago when they were scarcer (I think I'll avoid checking what I paid). According to Warren Esty, these examples lacking a star on the obverse are from the first, heavier series (5.1 g).
