Let's march through time with Roman Imperials!

Chosen for the portrait:


One of the most ironic of Roman types:


First emission of the Cologne mint:

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Whoa. That's a show stopper right there! Beautiful coin my buddy ol pal.
Now, I've heard the stories told about both Crassus and Valerian that they were killed and due to their and Rome's greed had molten gold poured down their throats! ...as well as poor Valerian had the missery of being the emperors foot stool for 10 years, and then, being dispatched from this world by either molten gold down the throat or by being burned alive.
Here's the man's wife!
Mariniana RIC: V6 Billon
Antoninianus Improper
METAL MIXTURE WITH
SOME SILVERING
SHOWING THROUGH
AREAS ON THE REVERSE

 

Here is a Uranus AV Aureus that did not sell in Russian Auction/ starting bid 150K / the Pertinax did sell for 150K!

 

I better jump in here before I forget to post something...



Valerian antoninianus , AD 257
O: Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, IMP VALERIANVS AVG, R: Valerian and Gallienus standing facing one another, each holding shield set on ground; two spears between in background, P M TR P V COS IIII P P RIC V, 277. Antioch mint. 5th emission. 21 mm, 3.2 g

 

Valerian:


Mariniana:

 

All of the imperial silver issues for Mariniana, Valerian's wife and mother of Gallienus, are posthumous. Though not common, there are two bust types for her antoniniani, one with a prominent stephane, and one without. With these there are also a few reverses.

obverse: without stephane
reverse: CONSECRATIO with apotheosis image, she rides an ascending peacock to right


obverse: with stephane
reverse: CONSECRATIO peacock stands facing in full display, head turned to right. (in contrast to the head to left example by RC above)



obverse: with stephane
reverse: CONSECRATIO; peacock runs/advances to right.

 

Valerianus I AE Sestertius, Victory reverse
Valerianus I. (253-260 AD). AE Sestertius (27 mm, 15.93 g), Rome, 253-254 AD.
Obv. IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG, Laureate and cuirassed bust right.
Rev. VICTORIA AVGG / S - C, Victory standing left, holding wreath and palm.

She's rough but the portrait is super nice in hand. My crap photography shows all of the sins....lol!!

Cheers!

 

Two Valerians... one from Rome and one from the Antioch/Samosata/Uncertain Mint.

Valerian
253, Rome
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG
Radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right
FIDES MILITVM
Fides standing facing, head left, standard in each hand
RIC V, Part I, 89 (C); Göbl 22d

Valerian
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS P F AVG. Radiate and draped bust right.
PIETAS AVGG. Valerian and Galliernus standing facing each other, sacrificing over altar.
Struck 255-256 A.D. at Antioch/Samosata/Uncertain Syrian Mint
RIC V (Part 1) 285

 

I always giggle a little when I see Valerian's RESTITVT ORIENTIS coins. Oh Val... if only you knew...

I have one but it's ugly. A nice one like yours is on my list!

 

Here's a nice one of Valerian's grandson or Gallienus' son Saloninus, murdered by Postumus' army not long after Valerian was captured in 260. This is a pretty terrible photo... the light makes it look orange rather than a gray/silver but it's a nice coin.

Saloninus
Syrian mint, as caesar, late 258 - 260 A.D.
SALON VALERIANVS NOB CAES, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right; reverse SPES PVBLICA, Saloninus (on left) and Spes (on right) standing confronted, Spes is raising skirt and presenting flower to prince, Saloninus holds scepter in left
Göbl MIR 1696d (Samosata), RIC V 36 (Antioch), Cohen 95, AHG 318

 

Valerian :


Ant


Sest



As


And an antoninianus for Mariniana :



Q

 

Gallienus, 253-268 A.D.
Obverse: GALLIENVS AVG
Reverse: SOLI CONS AVG, Sol's horse prancing right

 

Oh, boy! Gallienus and Salonina time! It's just that I have so many! I'll do the Alexandrian tets, though, because the portraiture is so nice:

 

Here's my tet of Salonina:

 

Mariniana (254 - 258 A.D.)
AR Antoninianus
O: DIVAE MARINIANAE, Veiled and draped bust right, set on crescent.
R: CONSECRATIO, Apotheosis of Mariniana: Mariniana, raising hand and holding scepter, reclining left on peacock flying upward to the right.
Rome Mint
22mm
3.3g
RIC 6

Ex Hans Schulman April 21, 1962


Salonina
Egypt, Alexandria
Potin Tetradrachm
O: KOPNHΛIA CAΛWNEINA CEB. Diademed and draped bust right..
R: No legend. Eagle standing right, holding wreath in beak, palm above left; in right field, LIE (= regnal year 15 267-268 A.D).
Alexandria Mint
22mm
9.14g
Dattari; 5346, Milne; 4189, Curtis; 1642, BMC; 2280, Emmett 3854

 

I've shown this before, but it bears repeating since the antoniniani for Salonina typically do not present well due to the use of billon in their manufacture. This one was apparently early enough in the reign that it got a better share of silver.


Less fortunate but more typical of her early pieces is this one which I usually attribute to Antioch based on the distinctive style of the obverse portrait.


But later in the reign as the debasement reached critical proportions, her ants tended to resemble bronze coins altogether:

 

SALONINA
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: SALONINA AVG, diademed draped bust right on a crescent
REVERSE: FECVNDITAS AVG, Fecunditas, standing left, holding cornucopiae, child at feet left, officina letter D to right
Struck at Rome, 260-8 AD Sole Reign of Gallienus
2.1g, 19mm
RIC 5A, D (Gallienus)

SALONINA
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: SALONINA AVG, diademed and draped bust right, resting on crescent
REVERSE: DEAE SEGETIAE, statue of Segetiae or Ceres, nimbate, standing facing in four-columned temple, both hands raised
Struck at Lugdunum, 258 AD
3.1g, 22mm
RIC 5

SALONINA
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: SALONINA AVG, diademed draped bust right on a crescent
REVERSE: SALVSAVG - Salus standing facing, head right, feeding serpent in arms from patera
Struck at Asia, 267 AD
3.5g, 21mm
RIC 88

 

I guess it's time to move to Claudius Gothicus, 268-270 A.D:

AE Antoninianus...





I also believe we'll need Macrianus and Quietus

 

Not pretty at all but it is Quietus:
QUIETUS
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: IMP C FVL QVIETUS P F AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter seated left, holding patera in extended right hand & scepter in left; eagle at feet
Struck at Antioch, 260-1 AD
1.3g, 20mm
RIC 6, C 8