On the side of the french motorways there are brown signs showing local places of touristic interest (monuments, nature, etc.). The places you can visit if you turn right at the next exit. On the motorway from Paris to Rouen and Normandy, one can find near Evreux this sign, with the cathedral of Evreux and a double sestertius of Postumus. It's because some years ago an archaeological dig near Evreux in a Gallo-Roman farm house found a hoard of c. 100 large Roman bronze coins, the majority of which were sestertii and double sestertii of Postumus, some official, minted in 261, others being struck or cast local imitations made c. 266-268. This is my own double sestertius of Postumus (not from this hoard of course). This emperor, often called an usurper, was the last one who minted large bronze coins in significant quantities. Unlike Gallienus' post-260 sestertii, which are rare, those of Postumus minted in Trier, or Cologne, or Lyons - specialists are divided - are very common.
That's a very nice coin. I really like the strike and patina. I have a couple of his double sestertii. Here's one of them: Postumus, double sestertius, Treveri, 260-69 AD. LAETITA. RIC 143 33mm; 27.97 grams. They do show up fairly often in varying states of preservation and strike/flan quality. That road sign is really cool!
Here are some of mine I recently posted on another thread . Yes the road signs are great @GinoLR thanks for sharing. Roman Imperial Coinage, Postumus, Double-Sestertius, Trier, 260-9, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, rev. Fides standing left, holding two standards, 20.94g (RIC 123; Banti 12; Holmes 604). Postumus, Double-Sestertius, Trier, 260-9, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, rev. galley left with four rowers, 18.92g (RIC 143; Banti 29; Holmes 612). IMP C M CASS LAT POSTVMVS P AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust to right [RESTITVT]OR GALLIAR, Emperor standing to left, holding spear, extending right arm to Gallia kneeling to right, holding spear(?). Mairat, 2014 (unpublished PhD Thesis), 72; RIC V.2 158 (Lugdunum); Bastien 30. 20.69g, 32mm, 6h. I'm fond of these double sestertii.
That's a neat road sign. My nicest one is actually a laureate sestertius. Here's a recent, not-so-nice one, purchased as a tagalong and because of the high weight. POSTUMUS AE laureate sestertius. Victory advancing, captive at her feet. 31mm, 23.3g, RIC 170 My double sestertii are mostly decrepit examples of the high weight ones.
