ROMAN EMPIRE USURPERS

Post most rare, high grades Usurpers in Roman Empire !! This is must be interesting !!!!

 

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Magnentius. 22 mm. 2.54 grams. Struck 351-352 at Amiens (Ambianum) with mintmark AMB. RIC Amiens 20 cross-rho above shield

 

You'll enjoy this recent article from CoinWeek about the usurpers (with great photos). From the article:

Assembling a collection of the coins of Roman usurpers would be a nearly impossible challenge for even the wealthiest collector or institution. Even researching this corner of classical numismatics requires a reading knowledge of three or four modern languages and access to obscure references. In many cases, only two or three coins are known to exist for a particular individual, but new hoards are constantly appearing on the market, and it costs nothing to dream…​

 

Here's a Magnentius AE 2 of Trier

 

And Magnus Maximus, the erstwhile commander of Britain who rebelled against Gratian in 383, and who was defeated by Theodosius at the battle of Save in 388. His name can be translated as great-greatest so one can imagine he must have been a boastful fellow.

 

That's a very nice coin @kolyan760 and thanks for that great article @Roman Collector I have only one coin of a usurper, and it is also Magnentius.

Magnentius. AD 350-353. Æ Double Centenionalis (27mm, 7.41 g, 1h). Ambianum (Amiens) mint. Struck AD 353.
Obv: Bare headed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Large Chi-Rho, A to left, ω to right
RIC VIII 34

 

And here is one of Vetranio, who ruled from 1 March 350 to December 25th 350 when he voluntarily stepped down on Christmas Day at a joint ceremony conducted by Constantius II, and was allowed to live out the rest of his life (he died in 356) on a state pension. Notice the chi-rho on the labarum on the reverse.

 

Every usurping Chump needs a Penceius...I mean Decentius!

Decentius

Caesar, AD 350/1-353. Æ
Lugdunum (Lyon) mint, 2nd
officina. Struck AD 351.
Bareheaded and cuirassed
bust right / Two Victories
standing facing one another,
holding wreath inscribed
VOT/V/MVLT/X in four lines;
SV//RSLG•. RIC VIII 129

A few other notables:

VABALATHUS & Aurelian (obviously Aurelian is not the usurper here. Valbs and his mom tried. Aurelian put the kybosh on that, used their power and let them live)

271-272 AD. Antoninianus
Antioch mint. IMP C
AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate
and cuirassed bust of
Aurelian right; S below /
VABALATHVS VCRIMDR,
laureate, draped and
cuirassed bust of
Vabalathus right, seen from
behind. RIC

Postumus

Romano-Gallic Emperor, AD
260-269. Æ Irregular mint –
"Mint II". 2nd bronze phase,
first period, AD 264-266.
Radiate, draped, and
cuirassed bust right / Pax
advancing left, holding
branch and scepter

LAELIANUS

269 CE. Antoninianus (19
MM, 2.66 gm). Mint city II
(Cologne). Radiate and
cuirassed bust right / Victory
advancing right, holding
palm and wreath. RIC V 9;
AGK 1c; Gilljam dies IX/54

 

MAGNENTIUS

RI Magnentius 351-352 CE AE 1 CHI RHO

MAGNUS MAXIMUS

RI Magnus Maximus 383-388 CE AE Follis

VETRANIO

RI Vetranio 350 CE AE3 17mm Siscia mint Emp stdng hldg Standard and Spear

DECENTIUS

RI Decentius 350-353 CE AE19 VOT V

VABALATHUS

RI Vabalathus 271-272 CE and Aurelian

POSTUMUS

RI Postumus 259-268 CE Antoninianus Cologne Oriens ex tif

AUREOLUS?

RI Postumus struck by Aureolus 268 CE Revolt of Milan Concordia

LAELIANUS

RI Laelianus CE 269 AE Ant 19mm 3.4g Moguntiacum mint Radiate cuirassed Victory RIC Vb 9 p373 black

CLODIUS ALBINUS

RI Clodius Albinus 193-197 CE AR Denarius ROMAE AETERNAE Roma seated

 

MACRIANUS

RI Macrianus 260-261 CE Usurper AR 22mm 4.4g BI Ant Spes Publica star Sear 3.10811. RIC 13 pg 581 R2 Rare

QUIETUS

RI Quietus usurper 260-261 CE Ant 3-74g Samasota mint Indulgentia patera scepter RIC V 5

GALLIC EMPIRE
- (POSTUMUS prior post)

- MARIUS

RI Marius 269 Gallic Usurper BI Ant CONCORD MILIT Clasped Hands

- VICTORINUS

RI Victorinus 269-270 CE BI Ant Gallic Empire Salus

- TETRICUS I

RI Tetricus I 271-274 CE Ant LAETITIA

- TETRICUS II

RI Tetricus II 273-274 CE BI Ant SPES w Flower

ALLECTUS

RI Allectus 293-296 CE AE Ant PAX

CARAUSIUS

RI Carausius usurper in Britain CE 287–293 BI Ant 4.7g 24mm London radiate cuirassed - PAX AVG Pax stndg l branch scepter S—P RIC V 475

SATURNINUS

RI Probus Æ Ant 22mm 3.75g 280CE CLEMENTIA TEMP XXI Emperor receiving Victory from Jupiter UNKNOWN EASTERN MINT - fight Saturninus (see Doug Smith's Thread:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/spacefiller-saturninus.312705/

PROCOPIUS

RI Procopius 365-366 AE3

 

I reckon I like having a bunch of Usurpers cuz I have always been a Rebel.

EUGENIUS


RI Eugenius 392-394 CE AE 12mm 1.0g Aquileia SPES wreath palm Victory RIC59

 

Quite a collection there @Alegandron !

 

I think everyone may tired of seeing my Postumus coins, so I'll post the newest:


GALLIC EMPIRE, Postumus, AD 260-269.
Æ dupondius, 23mm, 7.4g, 12h; Lugdunum mint.
Obv.: IMP C M CASS LAT POSTVMVS P F AVG; Radiate draped cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: LAETITIA; Galley sailing right.


Magentius, AD 350-353
AE, 23mm, 4.72g; 12h
Obv.: [DN MAGEN]-TIVS PF A[VG]
Rev.: [SAL]VS DD NN A[VG ET CAAES]; Large Chi-Rho with A to left, W right
This coin is sharp at the break on the reverse. I think it was filed at some point

I really want a coin from Maxentius.

 

here is rare one .. Martinian AD 321

 

Ok, I'll pull out my Uranius Antoninus again:



SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Emesa. Uranius Antoninus. Usurper, AD 253-254. Æ (32mm, 16.75 g, 12h). Dated SE 565 (AD 253/4). Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Baetyl of El–Gabal, decorated with eagle flanked by parasols, within hexastyle temple; crescent in pediment, ЄΞΦ (date) in exergue. Baldus 43 (OI/R6); R. Delbrueck, “Uranius of Emesa,” NC 1948, Series I, 2; SNG Hunterian 3174 (same obv. die); BMC 24 (same obv. die). gVF, . Rare.


Bonus points if you can guess the dealer! (Hint: distinctive "desert" patina)

 

Here's my Basiliscus for good measure:


Basiliscus, AD 475-476, Solidus, Constantinople, EF(40-45), Gold, RIC:1003
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear and shield
Victory standing left, holding jeweled long cross; star to right
D N bASILIS-CUS P P AVG
VICTORI-A AVGGG

 

I haven't seen Constantine III yet. Here he is:


Constantine III, Siliqua, 407-411 AD, Uncertain Mint,
Pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory on globe and reversed spear
D N CONSTAN-TINVS P F AVG
VICTORIA - AAVGGG

Now, who has Jovinus, Sebastianus, Constans II, Constantius III, Maximus of Spain?

 

Great read!

(But the author missed Maximus of Spain, Sebastianus, Jovinus, Constans II, Constantius III ... any others?)

 

Nepotian was missed too! Does anyone have a Nepotian?