Postumus / Moneta Antoninianus

Watching the stock and commodity markets lately is worse than getting ECT, (electo convulsive therapy) . I'm glad I've got ancient coins to escape with . Yesterday while trying to organize some coins acquired over the last few years I stumbled on an interesting coin of the Gallic Usurper I got several years ago but never posted, pictured below. The coin has an excellent portrait of Postumus, and depicts the goddess Moneta on the reverse. Emperor Gallienus invaded the territory of the renegade Postumus after he had Saloninus, his younger son, executed. This epic invasion lasted from late 263 to early 265, and ended in a stalemate. The coinage being struck by Postumus at that time was far superior to the coinage of Gallienus. The coinage of Gallienus was bronze with a silver wash while the coinage of Postumus was composed of 20% silver, and the depiction of Moneta on the reverse of my coin is clearly a boast that his coinage was better.




For comparison pictured below is a antoninianus struck under Gallienus from the Milan Mint about the same time as my coin, courtesy of Wild Winds.


Gallienus, sole reign, AD 260 - 268, Milan Mint, AE antoninianus: 4.07 gm, 21 mm.

 

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POSTUMUS
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and
cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: MONETA AVG, Moneta standing left holding scales and cornucopiae
Struck at Cologne, 262-5 AD
3.7g. 21mm
RIC 75

 

That's a very nice portrait and reverse on your Postumus! He definitely had some skilled engravers working for him.

Here are a less stellar Postumus as well as an earlier eastern Moneta by Septimius Severus. I find it noteworthy that with the exception of e.g. the idiosyncratic Rhenus and Hercules Deusoniensis reverses, almost all Postumus reverse types are adapted from earlier Imperial coins.

Postumus, Gallic Roman Empire, AR antoninian, 262–266 AD, Trier mint. Obv: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG; bust of Postumus, radiate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: MONETA AVG; Moneta, draped, standing l., holding scales in r. hand and cornucopiae in l. hand. 23mm, 2.96g. Ref: Mairat 246–7/320–1; RIC V Postumus 75/315.


Septimius Severus, Roman Empire, AR denarius, 194–195 AD, Emesa mint. Obv: IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS II; head of Septimius Severus, laureate, r. Rev: MONET AVG; Moneta, draped, standing l., holding scales in extended r. hand and cornucopiae in l. hand. 18mm, 3.32g. Ref: RIC IV Septimius Severus 411A. ("Scooped"?)

Unfortunately, the coinage quality of the Gallic Empire followed the current course of the stock market in the decade after Postumus:

Tetricus II as Caesar, Gallic Roman Empire, AE antoninian, 272–273 AD, Trier mint. Obv: C PIV ESV TETRICVS CAES; bust of Tetricus II, radiate, draped, r. Rev: [SPES] PVBL[ICA]; Spes walking l., holding flower in r. hand and raising robe with l. hand. 16mm, 1.54g. Ref: Mairat 795; RIC V Tetricus I 272.

 

..for a usuper, he sure had fine quality coins minted..

 

That's one of the best reverse strikes I've seen on an ant of Postumus. Great find!

 

Both Gallienus and Postumus saw the quality of the metal in their coins decrease badly during the time they were active. The fact is there are certain times in history that economic factors make it a better time not to rule if you do not want to be blamed for what happened.
Early years silver:


Later copper:

 

I have to post one of my favorite coins ever: Spaghetti Venus

Postumus BI/AR Antoninianus, 259-268 AD Lyons mint. (RIC 89)
OBV: IMP C POSTVMVS PF AVG. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
REV: VICTORIA AVG. Victory walking left holding wreath, captive at foot.

 

I love the contrast between the Postumus and Gallienus Monetas!

My favourite portrait of Postumus is on a coin issued by Aureolus in 267-68:


FIDES AEQUIT, Fides seated left, holding patera and standard.

Seems to be better billon than Gallienus was producing at the time, i.e. 267-68. (Aureolus was Gallienus's Dux Equitum who defected to Postumus.)

Neat detail: The abnormal spelling "AEQVIT," found on the first emission, is thought to reflect a change in pronunciation that had occurred in northern Italy and Gaul. It was soon corrected to "EQVIT".

 

Yes, this is a neat variation even if we only see part of the A on the coin. On the other hand, many of this series are on such a small flan that you rarely get all of any letters. Mine is FIDES EQVIT or the lower half thereof.

 

Size and weight? Mine is 21mm and 3.56g. I wonder if the later issues tend to be smaller, lighter, and in worse billon, as the situation deteriorated in Milan.

I'd like to get a first issue of Claudius from the city, just after Aureolus turned the city over to him. Anybody have one?

 

The fortunes of many emperors & usurpers were ever changing depending on the current economy as Doug Smith illustrates with his post. Everything was going well for Postumus for a long time until one of his generals, Laelianus, staged a revolt in Mainz. The revolt lasted about two months and Postumus was successful in quelling it, later executing Laelianus. At the same time this revolt was happening the new emperor, Claudius II "Gothicus", was attacking from the south and managed to take Spain back into Roman control. Postumus was assassinated by his own troops in 269 most likely because he refused to let them sack Mainz.
It looks like the Moneta antoniniani are plentiful and many fine example have been posted by CT members. The examples by Bing (James), Orielensis, and ominus1 are all handsome coins. As Orielensis points out he had talented celators working for him.The portrait on the coin Severus Alexander posted is breathtaking and equal to any of his portraits seen on gold coins.

 

I'm not watching the stock market....oh wait, I am. Just can't admit it. I'm afraid it may be a 3-5 year recovery with the contraction of the economy, blow-up of the VC and private equity markets, subsequent lack of investment. (Swallows hard). I'm waiting to get my 1,000 silver-washed antoniniani from the Treasury.

Nice example of the Postumus Moneta type.

 

Here's a double sestertius that I picked up last year from Roma Numismatics.

Postumus Æ Double Sestertius. Colonia Agrippinensis, circa AD 264-265. IMP C M CAS LAT POSTVMVS P F AVG (sic!), radiate and draped bust right / HERC [PACI]FERO, Hercules standing left, holding branch, club and lion skin; S-C across fields. Bastien 145; RIC 135. 24.63g, 33mm, 1h.

Extremely Fine; Overstruck.



Some really nice examples are being posted!

 

Some nice coins ,although I don’t know that much about these sestertii of Postumus, AE Sestertius. Cologne/trier ? Mint

IMP C POSTVMVS PF AVG, laureate, draped bust right.
FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left, holding two standards.

RIC V-II 124; Cohen 69.

 

Nice heavy example @robinjojo - also very clear design and devices particularly for being overstruck. My double sestertius is heavily patinated and worn:

 

That's a really nice bust of Postumus.

 

Thanks I was lucky enough to buy it off the metal detectorist who found in the uk

 

Nice example! I love that these are often overstruck on earlier sestertii. Have you been able to figure out the undertype?

Here's my double:

 

I really like the bust. It is very well modeled for this period.

No, I haven't examined the under-type yet.

 

Here is mine that I will pile on:

POSTUMUS
Antoninianus
O: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and
cuirassed bust right
Rx: MONETA AVG, Moneta standing left holding scales and cornucopiae
Struck at Cologne, 262-5 AD