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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ocatarinetabellatchitchix, post: 3517412, member: 99554&quot;]This is my 1st coin of this Emperor. Why did I buy it ?</p><p><br /></p><p>1) it was missing in my collection</p><p><br /></p><p>2) I’m a romantic ( rome antique...) guy and I like stories with happy endings.</p><p><br /></p><p>24 mm Thessalonica 350 AD</p><p>DN VETRANIO PF AVG</p><p>VIRTVS EXERCITVM&nbsp; &nbsp; TSA</p><p>RIC 126a</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]933951[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Now about the story : <b>Vetranio</b> was born im Moesia and was not very well educated. Eutropius wrote that he was “so ignorant of the liberals arts, of all things, that he would not even acquire the first elements of literature until he was old and become emperor”. He served in the army under Constantine I ; under Constans he became a <i>magister militum.</i> Around 350 AD, Magnentius started a revolt. Constans had to run away, but finally he was captured and killed. His brother Constantius II was certainly not crying, be he was kind of busy with the Persians near the eastern borders of the empire.</p><p><br /></p><p>Constantia, Constans sister, is now getting very nervous and she is wondering who could protect herself and her family against the usurper... so she asked the old <b>Vetranio </b>to become ‘Cesar’. But the man finally decided it was not enough ; he accepted the purple and became ‘emperor’. We also have to remember that Constantia hated her only surviving brother ( she became a widow after Constantius killed her ex-husband Hannibalianus). <b>Vetranio </b>is now being courting by both Magnentius and Constantius, who offered him to share the empire with him. They agreed to discuss this matter face to face, and they met in Serdica on December 25th 350. Constantius came almost alone, but he was bringing with him mountains of gold...to bribe the new emperor’s army. The poor guy lost it all when all his generals and troops acclaimed Constantius as the only and unique emperor. Probably because of his popularity within the legions, his life was spared and even more than that : he was sent in Bithynia on a state pension for his retirement, and lived his last 6 years in peace and happiness as a private citizen.....</p><p><br /></p><p>Please post your coins of <b>Vetranio</b> or your examples of other emperor’s happy ending stories ![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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