Not of Troy but from Trier: An attractive Helena

Thanks for the kind words everyone and for posting your Helenas!

@seth77 immediately saw what appealed to me when seeing the OP coin. Helena on my coin wears what looks like an imperial mantle. Originally, this type of dress was part of the triumphal regalia and consisted of the toga picta worn over the tunica palmata. In the 3rd century, though, it seems to have become part of the consular regalia. The imperial mantle is seen rather rarely on coins of Helena and is iconographically odd. Of the coins shown in this thread, only @Ryro 's first example and my own have it:




Usually, the imperial mantle can be found on coins for male emperors celebrating a triumph or currently holding the consulship. See this coin of Licinius (not mine):



Or this coin of Probus:

Probus, Roman Empire, AE antoninian, 281 AD, Ticinium mint. Obv: IMP C PROBVS AVG; radiate bust of Probus l., wearing imperial mantle, and holding eagle-tipped sceptre. Rev: MARTI PACIF; Mars walking l., holding olive-branch, spear and shield; in fields, I – *; in exergue, QXXI. 22mm, 3.38g. Ref: RIV V Probus 508. Ex AMCC 3, lot 571.

The imperial mantle is not typically worn by women on Roman coins. It is thus quite unusual that it also appears on a few coins of Helena, who never held a consulship nor celebrated a triumph. For me, that was reason enough to buy the coin in the original post.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.