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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Shea19, post: 7579866, member: 90981&quot;]I recently added this nice tetradrachm of Galba from Antioch, which is my first coin of Galba, and my first from the &quot;Year of the 4 Emperors.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>After the death of Nero in 68 A.D., Galba was the first of 4 men to take over as emperor over the next year, and his reign lasted just 7 months.&nbsp; At the&nbsp; time, Galba was 69 years old, well past his prime, and in failing health.&nbsp; I love the portrait on this coin, and I think it&#039;s a great depiction of Galba as a grumpy, tired old man.&nbsp; Though there is some circulation wear, I like that this coin saw a lot of action in one of the craziest years in the history of the Empire.&nbsp; I also like that despite the wear, the obverse legend still clearly shows ΓΑΛΒΑC ΚΑΙCΑΡ (&quot;Galba Caesar&quot; in Greek).&nbsp; Not the easiest coin to photograph, but here is the seller&#039;s photo and then my photo:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1306369[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1306376[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Galba, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch., AR Tetradrachm (27 mm, 14.30 g), ΑΥΤΟ]ΚΡΑΤⲰΡ ΓΑΛΒΑC ΚΑΙCΑΡ CЄΒ[ΑCΤΟC] Bare head of Galba to right./ <i>Rev.</i> [ΕΤΟΥC Β] Eagle with spread wings standing left on wreath, holding wreath in beak; palm frond to left. McAlee 308. RPC I 4198.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is a great description of the physical appearance of Old Man Galba from Suetonius, which I think is in line with this portrait style: </p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;He was of average height, very bald, with blue eyes and a hooked nose. His hands and feet were so distorted by gout that he could not endure a shoe for long, unroll a book, or even hold one. The flesh on his right side too had grown out and hung down to such an extent, that it could with difficulty be held in place by a bandage. It is said that he was a heavy eater and in winter time was in the habit of taking food even before daylight, while at dinner he helped himself so lavishly that he would have the leavings which remained in a heap before him passed along and distributed among the attendants who waited on him.&quot;&nbsp; (Suetonius, &quot;Life of Galba&quot;, Chapter 21-22).</p><p><br /></p><p>Sounds like a lovely man to be around. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> I think that the portrait on my coin is in line with that description, and it also has a nice resemblance to this bust of Galba:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1306368[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>As emperor, Galba was as effective as he was handsome.&nbsp; Though he had served in several high-ranking government positions over his career, he evidently didn&#039;t seem to be up for the job when his time came as emperor.&nbsp; After 7 ineffectual months as emperor, he was assassinated in a plot led by Otho, who then lasted just 3 months as emperor himself.&nbsp; Vitellius then ruled for 8 months, before Vespasian took over and emerged as the last man standing from the &quot;Year of the 4 Emperors,&quot; with his Flavian Dynasty ruling the Empire for the next 27 years.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Please share your coins of Galba, any of your favorites from the Year of the 4 Emperors, or anything else relevant.</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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