Julian II The Apostate

Here is a coin I picked up for a project I have for the future. I want to eventually do a thread write-up from a Numismatics and historical perspective on Christian persecution in the Roman world, featuring a general and brief account of all the players involved, as well as the key moments and a twists in the story, and I want to feature a coin of each player in the story. I already have some of the players in the story of Christianity and the persecutions, including Augustus (emperor at the birth of Jesus), Herod Agrippa, Trajan, Philip the Arab, Constantine and his key sons in the story, but I'm still missing a few players such as Nero, Diocletian, and a few other Emperors.

Naturally the project will be a strict historical account of the entire story (maybe in 2 or 3 separate parts...ie. threads), and the focus will be strictly on the history and players in that story, as well as the Numismatics side of things. This is not going to be an endorsement or judgmental account of any religion or religions, as this is not the place for that stuff.

Well, I've been in a bit of a spree this month, and to wrap up August I bought another of the key players in that long term project which was missing, Julian II The Apostate.

We all know Julian more or less, and his attempts to reverse the inevitably Christian trend set in motion by the Constantine dynasty which he was a part of. Anyway, here it is. Show me your Julian II coins.


Julian II, 360 - 363 AD
AE20, Siscia Mint, 3.29 grams
Obverse: DN FL CL IVLIANVS PF AVG, Helmeted, draped and cuirassed bust of Julian left holding spear and shield.
Reverse: Laurel wreath around VOT X MVLT XX, ASISC. in exergue.
RIC421

Incidentally, for Judean coins to round up the project and be better able to tell the story with a strong Numismatics focus, I may reach out to @Deacon Ray when the time comes. I don't think there is a better source of knowledge and coins from Judea for this time period than him on this forum.

 

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Hrm... mind if I ask where you got the coin? I ask because I have this exact coin from Ken's recent auction in hand (his photo below):


In hand:

 

Hmm. Inventory management can be difficult! Online coin stores seem particularly prone to this, especially when the shop owner also does shows.

 

Darn it. I bought the coin from his store and paid for it. Had no idea he put it in an auction too.

Oh well, that's news to me and I guess the search for Julian continues.

You think Ken will give me a refund? I don't feel great paying for a coin I'm never going to get. Obviously it was an oversight somewhere. I think I'll PM him and let him know a mistake happened. He might not be aware of the problem

 

Sorry I nabbed it from you! Listing mistakes can happen I suppose - my first thought was perhaps this might have been a fake that slipped past! (I'll admit that I don't check the fake lists as often as I should...)

Sorry Sallent, but you'll hopefully agree that it is a beautiful con!

 

Yeah, it's a beauty. I participated in his last Auction but did not go as far as looking at his LRBs, so I had no idea this coin was part of the auction. I saw it instead on his store and bought it. I already sent him a PM to let him know of the problem, as he probably didn't realize what happened either.

 

I'm sure you'll be refunded and get a sincere apology.

Here's my favorite Julian II because the portrait from the mint in Antioch was rendered very skillfully:


Julian II, 361-363
Roman Silvered AE 3 Centenionalis; 3.16 g. 18.3 mm
Antioch mint, AD 362-363
Obv: D N FL CL IVLIANVS P F, helmeted and cuirassed bust, left, holding spear and shield
Rev: VOT X MVLT XX, legend within wreath; in exergue: ANTA between two palm fronds
Refs: RIC 220; Cohen 151; RCV 19181; LRBC 2642.

 

What this means is that buying and paying for something with confirmation from the website means nothing. Don't count your coins until they arrive in your mailbox. We occasionally had that problem in the old days when you called an office and bought a coin from a secretary when the boss had it with him at a show selling it a day later. This happened to me three times in 2016 but not yet this year. Luck?.... or skill?

 

Sorry about the mix up with your coin, Ken is a great guy so I'm sure it will be handled well.

My coins from Julian:


Julian II, AD 355-363
Æ28, 7.4g, 6h; Arles mint, AD 360-363
Obv.: DN FL CL IVLIANVS PF AVG; Diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: SECVRITAS REIPVB; Bull standing right, two stars above, eagle to right, standing right on wreath, holding another wreath in its beak
In Ex.: SCONST

I had to have a coin of this type for my collection.


Julian II, AD 360-363
AE3, 21mm, 2.6g, 12h; Heraclea mint: 361-363
Obv.: D N FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG; helmeted, cuirassed bust left holding spear and shield.
Rev.: VOT / X / MVLT / XX - Legend within wreath
In Ex.: HERACLA

Above is the first coin of Julian's I purchased. It has a dark, nearly black glossy patina.

Sadly I have not explored Julian's reign beyond Wikipedia.

 

There are quite a few biographies of Julian but you need to be a little careful for bias for or against Christians.

Every mint that produced the bulls had a distinctive style. They are popular and not cheap in high grade. My best is a mid grade Constantinople.


I have always been fond of this siliqua portrait.

 

That is a great Apostate @Sallent ! Looks great.

I have a well used one...aged...


RI Julian II 360-363 CE Fallen Horseman AE3

Oooohhh... and @FitzNigel has one too... what a coincidence! I know @Ken Dorney will get this all straightened out...

 

Yeah, I never post until the coin is in my hand. That kind of seems like this to me.




It's a great lookin' little LRB, I see why you guys wanted it. Me also!

Here's a scrappy little FH from Antioch.

 

Now that's something. Both CT posters buying the same coin from another CT poster. What's the odds, eh?

 

Already straightened out. I picked a second one from @Ken Dorney with a nice thick patina. Might not be a sharp as @FitzNigel 's, but it still has plenty of great details visible through the nice thick even patina, and it is a little bit cheaper, which is nice.

 

My new Julian, Part 2.

 

Julian II 360-63 AD Double Maiorina RIC Antioch 216

 

Young Julian siliqua, Arelate mint.


Vota issue, Antioch mint.


AE1 Bull, Sirmium mint.

 

A nice coin, and a nice replacement.

 

I have a couple more.

 

Whichever you got, it's indeed a nice coin

As you don't mention him, I allow myself to point your attention upon Trajan Decius, who his somewhat a key dude in the Christian's story (on the persecution side)

My only Julian II


Julian II, AE 1 struck in Antioch, 3 rd officina
D N FL CL IVLI ANVS P F AVG, Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Julianus right
SECURITAS REIPUB, Bull to right, two stars above. ANT gamma between two branches at exergue
8.73 gr
Ref : Cohen #38, RC #4072, LRBC #2641

Q