Trajan Decius & his family

For a relatively short-lived emperor, Decius left us with some interesting coins and nice portraits.


TRAJAN DECIUS
AE Double Sestertius. 32.59g, 36.1mm. Rome mint, AD 250. RIC IV 115a; Cohen 39; Banti 9. O: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: FELICITAS SAECVLI, Felicitas standing to left holding long caduceus and cornucopia; S-C across field.
Ex Dr C. Haymes Collection; ex Bruce R. Brace Collection (CNG 90, 23 May 2012, lot 1678)


TRAJAN DECIUS
AE Sestertius. 28.32g, 32.7mm. Rome mint, AD 249-250. RIC 112a (scarce); Cohen 18. O: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust right. R: DACIA, Dacia standing left holding staff surmounted by a wolf-like head (draco); S-C in field.
Ex Behnen Collection (acquired from Coin Galleries, 24 June 1966)


TRAJAN DECIUS
AE Dupondius. 12.53g, 24.5mm. Rome mint, AD 249-251. RIC 120c (scarce); Cohen 72. O: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right. R: LIBERALITAS AVG, Liberalitas standing front, head to left, holding counting-board in her right hand and cornucopiae with her left; S-C in field.
Ex G.G. Collection

TRAJAN DECIUS
AR Antoninianus. 4.91g, 21.4mm. Rome mint, AD 249-250. RIC 12b; Cohen 16. O: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: DACIA, Dacia standing left holding staff topped with a wolf-like head (Draco).

 

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Wow Donna, for a first coin you did great. As I remember, my very first ancient coin was a fake! I still have it somewhere.
I've always been partial to Decius, and as luck would have it I discovered my 5th great grandfather was named Decius.

some of the Decius family....

 

I do have several rare Trajan Decius Tets that I posted before but will post again for this thread. CT members have posted a lot of fine coins in this thread !

 

What fantastic coins everyone's posting! I had no idea when I started this thread that Trajan Decius and his family are such a popular subject for collecting. I don't think it's only because so many of their coins (except Hostilian's) are readily available -- a lot of them look really good, too.

 

DonnaML, You raise some good points . There is a wide variety of coins available from the reign of Trajan Decius, with many interesting & issues rare issues like the double sestertii & the divi series, despite his short reign. But collectors are drawn to his coins for historical reasons too. The intense persecution of Christians & the resurgence of the Goths were signs to the Roman people how weak the empire had become. When Decius, along with his son, became the became the 1st emperor to die in battle fighting barbarians this must have sent shock waves to Romans. Until Diocletian became emperor & established the tetrarchy Rome was on weak ground.

 

The Trajan Decius was my first Roman coin that I bought as an adult; the first ancient coin of any kind, which I bought not long before that, was a drachm of Alexander III (under Philip III Arrhidaeus), from the Miletos mint. I posted photos of it at https://www.cointalk.com/threads/th...-one-i-bought-as-a-child.356598/#post-4243760.

However, there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about: in the same post, I also put up photos of a Roman coin I bought as a child of 8 or 9 for less than a dollar, at a little coin shop a couple of blocks from where I lived. It was (I think) a Constantinopolis coin of Constantine I, and I'm sure it was far more wretched than anything you could possibly have bought at any time in your life!

 

When I began this thread more than a month ago, I had no Hostilian to contribute. Now I do. So here he is, ready to rejoin his family after almost 1,800 years, looking remarkably good for his age. There won't be a dry eye in the house!

Hostilian Caesar (son of Trajan Decius), AR Antoninianus, 251 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, C VALENS HOSTIL MES QVINTVS N C / Rev. Mars advancing right, holding spear in right hand and shield in left, MARTI PROPVGNATORI. RIC IV-3 177b, RSC IV 15, Sear RCV III 9556 (ill.). 22 mm., 3.65 g.

 

Donna, Nice score ! Apparently Mars couldn't defend the young chap against the plague or treachery of Trebonianus Gallus . Pictured below is an image of Hostinian from the Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus.

 

Great coins of Decius and his family. I have a Hostilian as Augustus coin from Antioch which is not so common. I probably paid too much for it, but the completist in me demanded I get it when the opportunity came along.
The coin was minted in Antioch so the legend has an unusual Greek transliteration of Latin = C OVAL OSTIL MES COVINTVS AVG which stands for C(aius) VAL(ens) HOSTIL(ianus) MES(sis) QUINTUS AVG.


Antioch mint, 251
Obverse: C OVAL OSTIL MES COVINTVS AVG: Bust of Hostilian, radiate, draped, right
Reverse: VICTORIA AVG: Victory, winged, draped, running left, holding wreath in right hand and palm sloped over left shoulder in left hand
RIC 208