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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;DonnaML, post: 4559245, member: 110350&quot;][USER=75937]@Roman Collector[/USER], here&#039;s what confuses me.&nbsp; How do we know -- other than because the catalogues say so -- that the figure on this reverse bearing the legend VIRTVS AVGG is supposed to be Gallienus rather than Virtus herself? How was that determination made? Does the same type of figure appear on other Gallienus reverses with different legends?</p><p><br /></p><p>After all, not all reverse figures identified as Virtus have a bare breast.&nbsp; I have two coins with reverse figures identified as Virtus, one with a bare breast showing and one without:</p><p><br /></p><p>Caracalla AR Denarius 210 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head of Caracalla right, ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT/ Rev. Virtus, helmeted, draped, standing right, right breast bare, left foot on helmet, holding spear in her right hand and parazonium in her left hand, PONTIF TR P XIII COS III. (<i>Thirteenth anniversary as ordained heir</i>.) RIC IV-1 117B, RSC III 478. 19 mm., 3.01 g.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1128596[/ATTACH]</p><p>Valerian I, Silvered Billon Antoninianus, 257 AD, Milan Mint. Obv. Radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right, IMP VALERIANVS P AVG/ Rev. Virtus standing left, holding Victory with right hand and resting left hand on shield, with spear propped against left arm, VIRTVS AVGG. RIC V-1 266 var., Goebl 811d,* Cunetio 770 (see <a href="https://tinyurl.com/qpb659c" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://tinyurl.com/qpb659c" rel="nofollow">https://tinyurl.com/qpb659c</a>). 22.5 mm., 3.4 g.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1128597[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>If Gallienus&#039;s father could show a fully-clothed Virtus on the reverse of one of his VIRTUS AUGG coins, why not Gallienus?&nbsp; That would solve the issue of the figure on the reverse of Gallienus&#039;s coin being perceived by some as having an insufficiently masculine stance.</p><p><br /></p><p>* I don&#039;t have direct access to Goebl, but this is the description of the coin in Wildwinds: &quot;Goebl 811d&nbsp; Valerian I AR Antoninianus. Milan mint, 257 AD. IMP VALERIANVS P AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the back / VIRTVS AVGG, Virtus standing left, holding Victory, shield and spear. Goebl 811d; Chalfont hoard 328; Cunetio 770; Stevenage hoard 529; RIC 267 var.&quot;&nbsp; Note that RIC V-1 267 itself identifies the reverse figure as &quot;a soldier,&quot; although the Wildwinds example identifies that figure as Virtus.</p><p>Cf. the article at <a href="https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_virtus.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_virtus.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_virtus.html</a> with a number of portrayals of Virtus, all of which do appear to show her with a bare breast.&nbsp; The article points out that for whatever reason, David Sear&#039;s RCV volumes incorrectly identify Virtus as a male personification.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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