This coin has one of those notoriously difficult-to-photograph glossy, near-black patinas. I rephotographed this gal in natural sunlight. I love the Venus on the reverse, even those she is just "standing there." Post your Galeria Valerias! They don't have a variety of reverse types, to be sure, but the portrait style varies considerably from mint to mint and makes for an interesting study. Galeria Valeria, daughter of Diocletian, wife of Galerius, Augusta, 293(?)-311 CE. Roman Æ Follis, 26 mm, 6.64 gm. Nicomedia mint, 308-310 CE. Obv: GAL VAL-ERIA AVG, diademed and draped bust right. Rev: VENERI VI-CTRICI CMH, Venus standing facing, head left, holding apple and drapery; in exergue, SMNA. Refs: RIC VI 57; Sear 14595.
Here's mine, also with Venus,goddess of Love,on reverse. The apple in her hand must be reminiscent of Eve in the Bible. No joke.
Obv: Draped bust of Galeria Valeria to right Rev: Venus standing left, holding apple in her right hand and drawing drapery from shoulder with her left
Here's my Gal: Galeria Valeria, AE follis, Alexandria. AD 308. Obv. Diademed and draped bust r. GAL VAL-ERIA AVG. Rev. Venus standing facing, head left, holding apple and raising dress over left shoulder. VENERI V-ICTRICI. X in left field. S or digamma over K in right field. Mintmark ALE. 24 mm, 7.97 gr. RIC VI Alexandria 81; Sear 14606: 3730.
Galeria Valeria Augusta, 293(?)-311. Follis Thessalonica, 308-310. GAL VALERIA AVG Diademed and draped bust of Galeria Valeria to right. Rev. VENERI VICTRICI / * - Δ / SMTS Venus standing facing, her head turned to left, holding apple in her right hand and raising drapery with her left over left shoulder.
Here she is from Siscia on a bad hair day, or when she was trying to fend off the advances of Maximinus (who mercilessly hated and haunted her after she turned him down). As for that "apple" Venus is carrying, I think it is more fitting that it represents a "Love Apple" (Pomegranate) rather than some form of Malus. As for the connection to Eve in the Bible, there is nothing in the Biblical record to specify what kind of botanical fruit it was. I have always thought it curious that there is such a widespread supposition that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was an apple. Some artistic license somewhere, I suppose. Be that as it may, even if we suppose that Gal Val was inclined toward a Christian point of view, as some have suggested, the use of Jewish imagery in conjunction with the Goddess Venus seems quite remote at best.
