Ancient - Vabalathus

I picked up this nicely struck little Vabalathus Antoninianus at a fairly good price (you know me).

OBV: VABALATHVS VCRIM DR, laureate, draped bust of Vabalathus right
REV: IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust of Aurelian right. Officina letter Epsilon below
Struck at Antioch, 271-2 AD
RIC 381, Epsilon

 

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Nice example. Mine was in a cheap trade.


Vabalathus (270 - 275 A.D.)
AE Antoninianus
O: VABALATHVS V CRIMDR, Laureate and draped bust right.
R: IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, Radiate and draped bust right.
Antioch
RIC-381
20mm
3.3g

 

Still don''t have this emperor, nice pickup!

 

Nice pieces, guys - I think it's a curious coin inasmuch as it's really a coin of Aurelian. He gets the radiate crown while Vabalathus has to settle for a laurel wreath.

 

Great new Roman, Bing .... huh, maybe I'm having a brain-fart, but I can't recall seeing a thread featuring an Vabalathus coin?

... is he a rare ruler?

 

A tad scarce but nothing major. He's readily available.

 

Thanks Mat ... yah, I just looked him up in ERIC II's rarity list ...

=> Vabalathus rated right in the middle of the rarity-scale ... #109 outta 207 ... where #207 is the rarest ruler

 

Not rare, but scarce all the same. I now own two of this type, but the other , my first, has a Delta officiana and is in much poorer condition:

 

that looks like a potato chip, not a coin => I'm givin' ya 5 outta 10 for that example!!

 

Yum, me likes potato chips. I said it was a poor example and that is why I got the new one. Geesh.....

 

jw awesome pick up, i can tell everyone is running to there auctions looking for one these.good look'in coin..

 

Thanks John. And the price was right too.

 

I'm already looking...

 

Beautiful,beautiful pieces of history. Here's mine:




Absolutely, one of the most fascinating periods in Roman history.

Recommend highly Pat Southern's Empress Zenobia : Palmyra's Rebel Queen. (Look for it on Abebooks.com.) Good book. Even has a couple brief discussions about the numismatic evidence.

Sorry. Gotta run. I have a late dinner planned with Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders, and early 1700's London tonight.

guy

 

I have to disagree. It is a coin issued by V from the mint he controlled at Antioch and places him on the obverse with Aurelian on the reverse. Roman coins of that period place the officina letter in exergue on the reverse and we see them always under Aurelian on the antoniniani. Bart's Alexandria tet shows that mint's interesting practice of dating the two sides separately according to the regnal years of each man. The A of LA for Aurelian is a bit crowded on his coin but it sure has a nice portrait of him. My example split the LA across the portrait like his does on the V side.

 

Very interesting, Doug. We can always count on you to give us a sophisticated interpretation. Either way, it's a fascinating coin.

 

Set me right, everyone.

I thought all these Aurelian / Valabathus coins were minted in either Antioch (with the Aurelian radiate head) or Alexandria (with the Aurelian laureate on the tetradrachm).

None of these coins were minted in Rome.

Is that correct?

guy

 

Correct. Aurelian did not consider V a collegue but V was trying to promote his position in world politics. It did not go well in the end.

 

Some accounts say Aurelian paraded Vabalathus and Zenobia through Rome in gold chains, but let them live out their lives as ordinary citizens. Other accounts say V died on his way to Rome after being captured.

 

Thank you for your rapid post, Ancient Doug.

I, too, believe that to be true. (Interestingly, Pat Southern agrees with your suggestion that the Aurelian / Valabathus coinage was an attempt by the mother (Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra) and her supporters to promote Valabathus' legitimacy while the official Roman Government was distracted by war, plague, rebellion, economic instability, invasion, etc.)

I've had this discussion with an expert who feels that the Antioch coinage was done with at least the tacit (and possibly the active) approval of Aurelian and Rome. I disagreed since the Antioch coinage only appeared after the forces of Zenobia captured the city.

Good stuff.

guy