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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 2659747, member: 81887&quot;]I just received my wins from Frank Robinson&#039;s latest auction, and this is probably the star:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]589777[/ATTACH] Roman Empire, Egypt, Alexandria.&nbsp; Billon tetradrachm.&nbsp; Galba (68-69 AD), regnal year 2.&nbsp; Obverse: Laureate bust of Galba right.&nbsp; Reverse: Helmeted, draped, and cuirassed bust of Roma right, holding spear and shield, star before.</p><p><br /></p><p>Galba was born in 3 BC and had a distinguished career in the Roman bureaucracy of the early empire.&nbsp; At the time of his accession he was governor of Hispania Tarraconensis.&nbsp; After the failed uprising of Vindex and suicide of Nero in early 68, Galba assumed the title of Caesar in June and marched to Rome.&nbsp; His reign, however, would last only seven months.&nbsp; While he had a reputation for fairness in his early career,&nbsp; as emperor Galba proved to be both greedy and cruel, and he refused to pay a bonus to the Praetorian Guard, stating &quot;It is my custom to levy troops, not to buy them.&quot;&nbsp; While this refusal to bribe the Praetorians could be considered a rare flash of good character, it was also very unwise.&nbsp; On January 1, 69, troops in Germany refused to hail Galba, and the next day proclaimed Vitellius emperor.&nbsp; On January 15, the Praetorians in Rome proclaimed their allegiance to Otho.&nbsp; Galba went out to meet the rebellious troops, and was immediately murdered.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the time of his death, Galba was a widower, and his two adult sons both appear to have died prior to 60 AD.&nbsp; Galba&#039;s sexual preference was definitely directed towards men, and Suetonius notes &quot;he showed a preference for mature and very sturdy men&quot;&nbsp; rather than for youths as would be more conventional at the time.&nbsp; By the time he became emperor, Galba was showing the signs of age; he was reportedly bald and had arthritis in his hands and feet so severe that he could not wear shoes or hold a parchment scroll.&nbsp; (The lush head of hair on this coin is either a wig or a blatant lie.)&nbsp; This coin was won in Frank Robinson&#039;s latest auction; it is a pleasant coin with good portrait detail.&nbsp; At first, I was confused how the coin could be dated to regnal year 2 when Galba only reigned for seven months.&nbsp; However, I learned that Alexandrian coins always base the regnal year on the Egyptian calendar, which had a New Year on August 29, so Galba&#039;s first regnal year lasted only three months.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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