Trajan Decius- "Spirit of the Army of Illyricum"

As @Tejas has stated above, Decius' focus on the Danube border is strongly visible on his coins. Here are, once more, three reverses with personifications of Dacia, the two Pannoniae and the Genius of the Illyrian army. It would be fun to collect all the variants of these:


Trajan Decius, Roman Empire, AR antoninian, 249–251 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP C Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG; bust of Trajan Decius, draped, cuirassed, and laureate, r. Rev: DACIA: Dacia standing left, holding draco. 22mm, 3.66g. Ref: RIC IV Traian Decius 12. Ex Frascatius Ancients.


Trajan Decius, Roman Empire, antoninian, 249–251 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG; bust of Trajan Decius, radiate, draped and cuirassed, r. Obv: GENIUS EXERC ILLVRICIANI; Genius of the Illyrian army standing l., holding patera and cornucopia, modius on head, standard to r. 23mm, 4.67g. Ref: RIC IV Trajan Decius 16. Ex H. D. Rauch (Vienna), auction 50, lot 424.


Trajan Decius, Roman Empire, AR antoninianus, 249–251 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, bust of Trajan Decius, draped and radiate, r. Rev: PANNONIAE, the two Pannoniae standing, holding standards. 23mm, 4.14g. Ref: RIC IV,3 Trajan Decius 21b. Ex Warren Esty; ex PMV Inc., "Late Summer List" 1982, lot 94; ex Dorset County Museum.

 

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That is a good point. I have about 30 of these imitative aurei. The aurei that were hacked to pieces were probably sacrifices (I cannot locate the article where I read this). And yes, the flood of gold coins to the Barbaricum probably sparked the custom among Gothic warriors to wear either official or imitative gold coins around their necks.
Here is a later example from my collection. The coin probably imitates a Probus (or Diocletianus?) Aureus:

 

Here is another example from my collection. This one is very heavy at 6.5 gr.

 

This Trajan Decius Aureus was probably part of the treasury that was lost in the battle of Abrittus. The coin was reportedly found in Khmelnitzky Oblast (western Ukraine). It is interesting to note that the hole was applied rather carelessly. The depiction itself was probably of little interest to the Goths. Instead all what counted was to show "a" gold coin around your neck.

 

Yet the wear pattern on most pierced or looped aurei found in the barbaricum shows that these pendants were always worn with the obverse side showing and the portrait head up and neck down, indicating that it was indeed important to show not just gold, which had little intrinsic value to the goths at this stage, but the face of a Roman emperor to indicate one´s connection to the empire.

 

Agreed, the hole is usually somewhere above or behind the emperor's head, indicating that they did displayed the coin more or less the right way up.

However, the holes are usually punched in quite carelessly, especially considering that these coins were made as pendants. On some examples, the holes completely disregard the image or the emperor's head (see below examples that are not in my possession)

My speculative and unproven theory is that the holing of the coins was part of a ceremony. I imagine that a Gothic chieftain handed these coins out to his retainers (much like a Roman emperor with donatives). The warrior received the coin, a hole was punched into the coin and it was strung up an placed around his neck. Again, this is just one possibily.

 

Is there a way to distinguish a Trajanus Decius antoninianus Ric 16c from Ric 18?
Thank you.
Giulio De Florio

 

Here's one from @John Anthony in the auction held on April 1st.



Trajan Decius, AD 249-251
AR antoninianus, 23mm, 5.2g,12h; Rome mint.
Obv.: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG; Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right, seen from behind.
Rev.: GENIVS EXERC ILLYRICIANI; Genius, wearing polos on head, standing left, holding patera and cornucopiae; to right, standard.
Reference: RIC 16c.
From the Theodosius Collection.

 

That is Ric 16c, not Ric 18. How can you tell them apart?

 

16c writes EXERC in the rev. legend, while 18 has EXERCITVS fully written out.

 

Thank you.