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Message:: [QUOTE="Al Kowsky, post: 7766886, member: 97383"]Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus was Diocletian's deputy commander (Caesar), & member of the 1st Tetrarchy. He was a peasant herdsman from a small village on the banks of the Danube. He joined the Roman Army & quickly rose through the ranks to become Diocletian's praetorian prefect. On March 1, 293, Galerius was given the rank of Caesar at the imperial palace of Nicomedia, with his areas of responsibility to be Illyria, the Balkans, & parts of Western Asia Minor. To cement his relationship with Diocletian, he divorced his wife & married Diocletian's daughter Galeria Valeria, & then established his court at Thessalonica. Galerius was a successful military leader but is best remembered for his persecution of Christians & his gruesome death, most likely from Fournier gangrene, that spread from his private parts to the rest of his body's soft tissue. Of the four members of the original Tetrarchy, the coinage of Galerius seems to be the most prolific. Common nummi of Galerius are not expensive & collectors can assemble a representative collection from the many different mints without taking a 2nd mortgage on their home. High grade nummi have gotten very expensive at auction the last few years, & during the Covid-19 pandemic prices have surged again. Collectors are willing to pay a premium for well engraved portraits too. Pictured below are some of the favorite nummi from my collection. [ATTACH=full]1331745[/ATTACH] Galerius as Caesar, AD 293-305 (struck AD 295-299), Cyzicus Mint, 1st Officina. Reverse: Genius with cornucopia & patera. Billon Nummus: 9.07 gm, 28 mm, 6 h. Sear 14342. NGC MS*, Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5. [ATTACH=full]1331749[/ATTACH] Galerius as Caesar, AD 293-305 (struck c. AD 304-305), Lugdunum Mint, 1st Officina. Obverse: Military bust facing left with scepter over shoulder. Reverse: Genius sacrificing over fire altar. Billon Nummus: 9.63 gm, 29 mm, 1 h. RIC 167b. Rare. NGC AU, Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5. [ATTACH=full]1331759[/ATTACH] Galerius as Caesar, AD 293-305 (struck AD 303-305), Londinium Mint. Obverse: Military bust facing right. Billon Nummus: 10.46 gm, 29 mm, 6 h. RIC 33; CT 3.01.031. [ATTACH=full]1331762[/ATTACH] Galerius as Augustus, AD 305-311 (struck AD 305). Ticinum Mint, 1st Officina. Reverse: Fides seated & holding signum in each hand. Billon Nummus: 11.56 gm, 29 mm, 6 h. RIC VI 55b. [ATTACH=full]1331764[/ATTACH] Galerius as Caesar, AD 293-305, Trier Mint, 2nd Officina. Billon Nummus: 9.44 gm, 30 mm, 6 h. RIC VI 344b. NGC AU, Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5. [ATTACH=full]1331765[/ATTACH] Galerius as Caesar, AD 293-305 (struck AD 304-305), Alexandria Mint, 5th Officina. Reverse: Jupiter holding victory on globe in his right hand & scepter in his left hand. Billon Nummus: 11.39 gm, 29 mm, 12 h. Scarce. Sear 14388. NGC Ch AU, Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5. [ATTACH=full]1331771[/ATTACH] Galerius as Caesar, AD 293-305, Trier Mint, 1st Officina. Billon Nummus: 13.15 gm (this is unusually heavy), 29 mm, 1 h. Sear 14348, RIC VI 508b. NGC MS*, Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5. [ATTACH=full]1331774[/ATTACH] Galeria Valeria Augustus (wife of Galerius), AD 293-311. Cyzicus Mint, 1st Officina. Reverse: Venus holding apple. Billon Nummus: 5.60 gm, 27 mm, 6h. NGC Ch AU, Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5. References: Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, Volume 1: History. David Vagi, 1999Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume IV. David R. Sear, 2011 If any CT member would like to share nummi (folles) of Galerius or his wife, you're welcome to post them on this thread <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie50" alt=":happy:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.[/QUOTE]

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