Something to ponder - Trebonianus Gallus from Antioch, "Sole reign"

Here is an intriguing issue from an emperor who never ruled without a colleague:

Trebonianus Gallus
AR Antoninianus, Antioch mint
IMP C C VIB TREBONIANUS GALLUS P F AVG, Radiate draped bust right
VICTORIA AVG, Victory advancing left


Conventionally on Roman coins, if there was one sole emperor, the reverse would mention AVG; AVGG for two, and so on. Trebonianus Gallus never ruled solo during his two year tenure; he ruled with Hostilian until the latter died in November 251, then immediately elevated his son Volusian.

Only a handful of types hint at sole rule, all of them from Antioch. Why these exist is anyone's guess. Some theories:

- There was a brief time that Gallus was sole emperor, while he negotiated for the elevation of Hostilian
- The mint at Antioch heard of the proclamation for Gallus, and assumed that Hostilian was going to be killed on short order
- The news of Hostilian's death reached Antioch before the news of Volusian's elevation - we really don't know if the elevation was immediate or took a few days or weeks of negotiating with the Senate
- Antioch just had incompetent engravers who made errors, or were recycling old dies from the time of Decius' sole reign.

Post em if you got em!

 

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Interesting indeed. I have not studied these much. You have set out a perfectly valid set of possibilities. I cannot guess which is correct.

Your timing is interesting.There have been a few Volusian and Treb. Gallus coins here recently and I had the following two coins arrive today. I sometimes wonder how the stars align around the globe with the purchases that we make and share.

Trebonianus Gallus - Antoninianus

Obv:– IMP C C VIB TREB GALLVS P F AVG, Radiate, draped cuirassed bust right
Rev:– MARTEM PROPVGNATOREM, Mars, walking right holding spear and shield
Minted in Antioch. A.D. 251 - 253
Ref:– RIC 84. RSC 70



Volusian - Antoninianus

Obv:– IMP C C VIB VOLVSIANVS AVG, Radiate, draped cuirassed bust right
Rev– MARTEM PROPVGNATOREM, Mars, walking right holding spear and shield
Minted in Antioch. A.D. 251 - 253
Reference:– RIC 219 (R). RSC 60

 

Hello,

It is quite interesting indeed. I just know that engraving errors, especially in legends and in figures features, are quite common for the Antioch mint and the oriental mints in general in the third century, since engravers sometimes did not even spoke or wrote latin, and were not aware of the roman deities.
The recycling of old dies also happened.

 

Interesting portrait of TG. I would venture to guess that the celators had not received the requisite bust of the sitting emperor, so therefore they had no idea what Gallus really looked like. It says to me generic, bearded 3rd century portrait.

 

Same type @randygeki - Pietas reverse, but different dies

 

Is it just possible that the 'rules' of Latin plural abbreviation were not as important to the mint as your theories assume? I do not specialize in these coins but half of my TG antoniniani are AVG. If I had to pick one from the list, I would guess that the mint was not told that Hostilian was still in the picture (dead or alive) and did not ask. Are there Hostilian coins of the post Decius period with AVG(G) endings? The only Antioch TG with AVGG is RIC 96 which is footnoted as not certainly of the mint so any answer that suggests they did not know he existed seems reasonable.

 

Good point, Doug. On wildwinds there are a number of both AVG and AVGG endings for Hostilian's stint as emperor, and RIC 208 seems to actually be using the same reverse dies as my OP coin.

At any rate, since we are having a t-bone party, I'll always jump at the chance to share this one again - one of my favorite Crisis coins!

 

I don't have one from Antioch, but I do have one from the Rome mint. It bears the expected AVGG title on the reverse.

 

Here is a Treb Gallus from Antioch--a tetradrachm:


26 mm. 12.41 grams.
AVTOK K Γ OVIB TPЄB ΓAΛΛOC CЄB
Autokrater [Imperator] Kaiser Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus Sebastos [Augustus]

ΔHMAPX ЄΞOVCIAC (Trib Pot = 251)

Two dots below the bust and B on the reverse refer to the second officina.

Prier 659. McAleee 1173b "first issue."

By the way, if you want to include Greek letters when you write to CT and you don't have a better way, you can copy them from this page (bookmark it):
http://augustuscoins.com/Greekletters.html
I find the rounded "Є" to be pleasing, "E" is just not the same.

P.S. Portraits on Roman provincial coins are interesting, but so is deciphering the Greek lettering. I find "Roman Provincial Coins" by Kevin Butcher to be the most useful book for understanding provincials.

 

Here's mine from Milan (Medeolanum). Notice the reverse type - talk about wishful thinking!

Milan mint
Obv: IMP C C TREB GALLVS AVG
Rev: PAX AETERNA - Pax, standing left, holding branch and traverse scepter
RIC 71
22mm, 3.8g.

 

Trebonianus Gallus AD 251-253, AR Tetradrachm
Syria, Antioch, 251 AD (1st year issue)
Obv.: Laureate draped and cuir. bust r., seen from behind, Z below bust.
Rev.: Eagle stg. facing, head l., SC in exergue, Z between legs
Weight: 14.05 gr. Diam.: 26 mm.
Attrib.: McAlee 1172g. Prieur 668.

 

In regards to TG's portrait likeness, and in absence of photography at the time, and taking into consideration all that we know about how coin portraits and period busts of that time were subject to glamorization/subjectivity, etc., see here:

Above image from:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/247117?img=2