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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Tejas, post: 8083899, member: 84905&quot;]Great coins, I love the two Valerian I Antoniniae.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apparently large numbers of coins were minted in the eastern part of the Empire to finance the continuous conflict with the Persian Sassanid Empire. I suppose it is no surprise that the standard of these coins was lowered under the condition of war finance.</p><p><br /></p><p>The main mint for these issues was Antiochia at the Orontes, which was the capital of the Syrian Province. During the time of Valerian and Gallienus Antiochia was twice conquered by the Sassanids, showing just how volatile the region must have been.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;A second eastern&quot; mint was identified by Helene Huvelin and Pierre Bastien in a 1969 study of a large eastern hoard. Robert Göbl identified this &quot;second eastern mint&quot; to have been Samosata on the Eurphrates. Samosata seems to have minted in the period from 255 and 258 and again in 260/1, when it replaced Antioch, which at the time had fallen to the Sassanids.</p><p><br /></p><p>The RESTITVT ORIENTIS issues that were minted at Samosata propagandistically announced the intended recovery of Antioch and the East. Valerian is known to have resided in Antioch in 254-55 and in May 258. In June/July 260 Valerian was captured by the Sassanids and famously never returned. A Persian inscription claims that both Antioch and Samosata had fallen to them.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, in Samosata Macrianus Maior (who seemed to have been some kind of fiscal official) seized control and had his two sons Macrianus Minor and Quietus proclaimed emperors in 260. Coins were minted for the two usurpers at Samosata. The usurpation faltered in 261 and Gallienus managed to re-establish control over the east. Coins were struck for Gallienus at Samosata in AD 260/1.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apparently these distinctive, low standard eastern issues were largely inflationary money produced to pay the troops and finance the campaigns against the Persians.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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