Two Gallienus Animal Reverses that are NOT part of his "Zoo Series"

In the nearly nine months since I joined CT, there have been several threads about the Gallienus "Zoo Series," most comprehensively in @Ryro's thread at https://www.cointalk.com/threads/gallienus-wants-you-to-help-build-the-ct-zoo.361207/ -- where I posted my own seven occupants of the Zoo a couple of weeks ago. (See cointalk.com/threads/gallienus-wants-you-to-help-build-the-ct-zoo.361207/page-3#post-4947836.)

I've just received a couple of Gallienus coins that have animal reverses but are not part of the Zoo Series. In fact, they both preceded that series, which came late in Gallienus's reign. Unlike the Zoo Series, which was minted in Rome, one of these new coins was minted in Antioch and the other in Mediolanum (Milan). One is part of a small stand-alone group of coins, all with the same animal, and the other is part of a different series of animal-reverse coins -- known as the Legionary Series -- which has fewer different animals than the Zoo Series. (Although it has more different types, largely because of obverse variations: RSC lists more than 100!) For whatever reason, coins in the legionary series appear to be much scarcer than coins in the Zoo Series, and, therefore, tend to cost more.

Here are the two coins, in reverse chronological order, accompanied by some rather lengthy notes based on some research I felt inspired to do. So, apologies in advance for the overall length of this post.

1. Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 264-265 AD, Antioch Mint, 11th emission (Göbl).* Obv. Radiate head left, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Lion walking left, bucranium [bull’s head] in front of paws, P M TR P XIII; in exergue, CVIPP [CVI = COS VI], palm branch left below. RIC V-1 602 var. obv. [bust draped & cuirassed] & rev. [lion radiate]; RSC IV 847 var. rev. [lion radiate]; Sear RCV III 10327 var. rev. [lion radiate]; Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 1622 [see http://www258.pair.com/denarius/coinage.htm, Coinage of Gallienus and Family, with Göbl numbers, descriptions, & images for Gallienus coins]. 21 mm., 4.05 g., 12 h.**

The dealer's photos:



The dealer's photos are so desaturated that I thought at first they were black-and-white. I'm sure these are no better as photos, but I think they give a better idea of the color:





[I really hope the green spots on the reverse -- which I would never have noticed with a naked eye -- aren't signs of bronze disease. They don't appear to be powdery, but perhaps I should soak the coin in distilled water anyway.]

Footnotes:

*See Euston, Charles, Gallienus to Antioch ? A new PROFECTIO type of antoninianus from the mint at Antioch, A.D. 264, in Bulletin du cercle d’études numismatiques [BCEN] 52/2 (2015), at p. 2: “Göbl’s 11th emission begins with another lion reverse; lion (not radiate), left with a bull’s head between its paws (MIR 1622). This reverse is also dated, but to Gallienus’ 13th tribunician power (TRP XIII). Interestingly, this type straddles both the 12th and the 11th emissions as it exists both with and without the palm frond as exergual marker. This mark in the exergue is, in fact, the primary indicator of the 11th emission.”

**See Manders, Erika (2012), Coining Images of Power: Patterns in the Representation of Roman Emperors on Imperial Coinage, A.D. 193–284. Impact of Empire (Roman Empire, c. 200 B.C.–A.D. 476), at pp. 296-297 [portions available on Google Books], stating that “[f]our coin types [of Gallienus] [NB: in fact, there were more than four] bear a legend consisting of standard imperial titalature and show a lion with a bull’s head between his paws or a radiate lion (sometimes with a bull’s head between his paws. . . . These types might refer to the victories of Odaenathus [of Palmyra], Rome’s ally, gained over the Persians, probably in 262-263 and 267. This hypothesis is strengthened by the thirteenth Sybilline Oracle’s description of the Persians as ‘venom spitting beasts’ who have been destroyed by Odaenathus, the ‘sun-sent, dreadful, fearful lion, breathing much fire.’” Other authorities have expressed skepticism regarding this interpretation. See, e.g., Woods, David (2018). "From Caracalla to Carausius: The Radiate Lion with Thunderbolt in its Jaws". British Numismatic Journal. British Numismatic Society.

And now the second coin:

2. Gallienus (son of Valerian I), Billon Antoninianus, 258 AD [RIC] or 260-261 AD [Sear], Mediolanum [Milan] Mint, Legionary Issue. Obv. Radiate and cuirassed bust right, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Bull advancing right, bellowing with head raised and mouth open, LEG VIII AVG [Augusta] VI P [Pia] VI F [Fidelis]. RIC V-1 353j [joint reign] (p. 95), RSC IV 522, Sear RCV III 10268, Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 1009h. 18 mm., 2.49 g.*

The dealer's photos -- reverse first, because it represents 99% of the value of the coin to me in every sense, although the surface of the obverse doesn't actually look nearly as terrible in hand as in the photo!





Only one giant footnote this time:

*A bull was the emblem of Leg. VIII Augusta, based in Strasbourg, France (then Argentoratum in Gaul) -- just as the animals or other figures shown on the reverses of the other coins of the Gallienus legionary series served as the emblems or badges of those legions. See Jones, John Melville, A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (London, Seaby, 1999) at p. 166 [entry for Legio]); RIC V-1 at p. 34. See also the list of the legions and their emblems depicted in the legionary series, at http://www258.pair.com/denarius/cgi-bin/erfind.pl?sstring=legio+milan. Note that if this theory is correct, then several animals served as the emblem of more than one legion -- e.g., the bull for three legions [VII, VIII, and X].


The general consensus is that the P and F stood for Pia Fidelis. See Jones, John Melville, A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (London, Seaby, 1999) at p. 166 [entry for Legio] (“the correct explanation seems to be that the legions were being commended for the virtues of piety and fidelity”). Note that “P F” can also stand for Pius Felix (see RIC V-1 at p. 32), but that term is usually associated with the emperor himself, and “faithfulness” seems a more appropriate appellation for the legions than “happiness.”


There is also controversy about the meaning of the Roman numeral VI preceding both the P and the F in the reverse legend (as well as concerning the meaning, in various other examples of the legionary series, of the numerals V or VII instead of VI preceding P and F). In RIC V-1 at p. 34, Harold Mattingly cites the work of Sir Charles Oman supporting the theory that the Roman numerals refer to the regnal years of Gallienus’s joint reign with his father in which the coins were issued -- i.e., years V-VII, or 157-159 AD -- despite the fact that “the obverse inscription is usually GALLIENVS AVG, a form of legend which does not generally appear until 260.” According to Mattingly, Oman “conclusively points out that Gallienus would, at no date after 259, have celebrated the piety and loyalty of the Rhine legions [such as Leg. VIII Augusta itself, based at Strasbourg, then Argentoratum], which had assisted the rebel Postumus to overthrow his authority in Gaul and to slay his son” (Saloninus). Jones agrees, stating in his Dictionary at p. 166 that “the numbers indicated the years of the emperor’s reign.”


However, the more recent authorities seem to disagree. See Sear RCV III at p. 293, stating that the legionary series of Gallienus “was issued early in his sole reign [i.e., after Valerian I’s capture by the Persians in 260] at Milan, the base of the recently established field army commanded by Aureolus. The units honoured were the Praetorian Cohort and the seventeen legions which had furnished detachments for the field army. The numerals ‘VI’ and ‘VII’ appearing in the reverse legends may refer to the victories achieved by Aureolus over the usurpers Ingenuus and Regalian.” See also https://www.beastcoins.com/RomanImperial/V-I/Gallienus/Gallienus.htm (“In 260, following the defeats of the revolts, Gallienus produced Antoniniani at Milan, honoring his different legions. Each legion or cohort is featured through the legionary badge on the reverse, along with the victory number and P F for Pia Fidelis. One coin type was issued for each of the three battles in which the unit participated. Victory V was against the Alemanni, VI was against Ingenuus and VII was against Regalianus.”) Neither Sear nor Beast Coins provides any source for the theory that the three Roman numerals can be tied to specific victories. Nor do they address Oman’s argument that Gallienus would not have honored and praised the Rhine legions after the usurpation of Postumus in the summer of 260.


At https://www.livius.org/articles/legion/legio-viii-augusta/ , in the article on Legion VIII Augusta, named on this coin (as well as in other articles about other legions), the author implicitly rejects both the view that the Roman numerals V, VI, and VII represent regnal years, and the view that they refer to specific victories, asserting instead that legends such as “VI Pia VI Fidelis” simply honor the legion for having been “six [or five, or seven, depending upon the coin] times faithful, six times loyal”:


“Between 250 and 260, however, Baden-Württemberg was seized by the Alamanni. This time, the Romans were unable to strike back and they gave up the country between Danube and Rhine. However, VIII Augusta still defended the Rhine frontier. In the conflict between the emperors Gallienus (of Italy) and Postumus (of Gaul), the legion seems to have supported the former, and it received honorific titles like V, VI, VII Pia fidelis (five times, six times, and seven times faithful and loyal). Yet, it seems certain that Postumus controlled Germania Superior, so we are left with a minor problem.”

In short, there is no definitive answer to the questions of precisely what the V, VI, or VII on these coins signify, and when the coins were issued.

Please post your Gallienus animal-reverse coins that are not part of the Zoo Series.

 

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That bull is pure strengh !
Two great coins, much rarer than most of the zoo series


Gallienus, Antoninianus - Antioch mint, AD 265-266
GALLIENVS AVG radiate head left
AETERNITAS AVG she wolf standing right, suckling twins Romulus and Remus. Branch at exergue
3,9 gr, 20 mm
Ref : RIC V-1 # 628, Göbl # 1628a

Q

 

@DonnaML, from here, you can talk all day, if you want. The depth of context gives the coins whole dimensions of significance --I want to use the word, 'urgency'-- they'd never have otherwise.
Only half-intelligent thing I can say is that, in earlier medieval heraldry (c. 12th-13th c.s), you can see whole geographic swaths where the earliest coats of arms run heavily to being variations of the same main device. The dominant one over much of northeastern France and the Low Countries being the lion rampant. In lots of cases, the only difference is the tinctures (colors).

 

Thank you! I must say that when I learned that the animals on the reverse of the legionary series apparently represent the legionary badges or emblems of the named legions, and that the same animals were used by multiple legions, I did wonder whether that would have been confusing in the middle of a battle, when soldiers were presumably supposed to stay with their own legions.. Although they were all on the same side, so perhaps it didn't matter all that much. And perhaps, as you point out was the case in earlier medieval heraldry -- for which I wonder the same thing after reading your comment -- the difference was in the colors.

 

Thanks. Your coin is fantastic. I assume that it's a stand-alone coin? I don't remember a wolf and twins in the Zoo Series (which one can always distinguish by the deities named on the reverse, and the officina numbers in the exergue). I notice that your coin has a palm branch in the exergue as well. Was that something typical of Antioch?

 

Never managed to capture a legionary Gallienus, congratulations.

 

Great coins and write up, Donna. Unfortunately I do not have a Gallienus legionary critter, but it did put me in mind of this new one from Viminacium. From what I've read, the bull and lion represent: Bull (Legio VII) and Lion (Legio IIII).

This one is a dupondius from Gordian III and it is pretty much the cutest giant-headed baby bull this side of Ferdinand and his flower:



Gordian III Æ Dupondius
Year 2 (240-241 A.D.)
Viminacium, Moesia Superior
IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right /
PMSCO LVIM, Moesia stdg. facing, bull and lion either side. AN II in exergue.
Pick 77 var.; Varbanov 109.
(6.23 grams / 21 mm)

Attribution Note:

"Remark: The bull on the left side of Moesia is standing with both front legs on the ground." viminacium.nl website This appears to be an obverse die match to this site's example.

 

...Sorry for this, @Marsyas Mike, but, Yeah, Ferdinand and his flower. Decades later, it landed on me: know what? Ferdinand was Autism spectrum. (--Like I am, Thank you; This time, Please don't bust me for mentioning it!) Just from the trailers, it looks like the movie version did the book a profound disservice. (...And he gets on a Motorcycle? Not, Comma, Happening.)
...Already reminiscent of the worst movies ever made, of the best books. Top of my list being P. D. James, The Children of Men. Followed by Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose ...although, after one rewatch of the movie, I had more respect for that one.

 

STUNNING ACQUISITIONS!!!
not only did @zumbly beat me to the punch, he had a dazzling example:

Why wasn't the wolf included, sans the brats

 

I guess the fact that nobody has posted another coin from the Gallienus legionary series -- compared to the many people who've posted coins from the zoo series -- just goes to confirm that the legionary series is much scarcer. Anyone curious about how much more expensive it is to obtain examples in decent condition can look on VCoins. (I bought mine from someone in the Facebook group for Ancient and Medieval coin sales.)

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether the small green spots on the reverse of the Gallienus lion coin from Antioch look like signs of bronze disease? Even if they don't -- and nothing happened when I gently probed the spots with a plastic toothpick, using a magnifying glass -- am I right that soaking the coin in distilled water for 24 hours to see what happens wouldn't do any harm?

Thanks.

 

I doubt water will do anything other than wet those spots but it should do no harm as long as you dry it well.

That bull is a great coin I always wanted. My lion with palm with always struck me as odd due to the small size of the lion and the bust. Actually, everything on my coin is junior sized.


The 'Zoo Series' coins all include the name of a god appropriate to the animal shown (Neptune has a sea creature, for example). I am not sure I'd call the others 'stand alone' but they are parts of other series. I see no palm on my weak example of the wolf.

 

Thanks. I wonder why your lion is so tiny -- I've never even seen a photo of one that small!

 

I love both of them, but really like the bull. Gallienus's legionary series is not the easiest to collect if you want coins as nice as the one you've bought. I have one, but it doesn't have an animal, and is in really rough condition.

GALLIENUS
AE Antoninianus. 2.77g, 21.2mm. Mediolanum (Milan) mint, AD 260-262. RIC 322; Cohen 459; MIR 988n. O:GALLIENVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: LEG I MIN VI P VI F, Minerva standing left holding Victory in right hand, spear in right and resting on a shield.
Ex Baron Louis Chaurand Collection (Drouot, 10 Apr 2012, part of lot 233)

 

Not a zoo coin, but if you weren't familiar with the series, you wouldn't know:


Gallienus, AD 253-268
Roman billon Antoninianus; 3.35 g, 20 mm
Antioch, AD 265
Obv: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, right
Rev: SAECVLARHS AVG, stag standing right, branch in exergue
Refs: RIC 656; Cohen 924; Göbl 1626c; RCV 10345; Hunter 195.

 

I guess it makes sense that a legion with Minerva as part of its name would use her image as its emblem. There's also one in the series with Neptune on the reverse, and one with Victory and a lion. The rest all show only animals, or mythical creatures like the centaur and the capricorn.

 

I notice that the reverse legend reads SAECVLARES AVG, just like the animal coins of Philip I issued less than 20 years earlier on the occasion of the games held for the 1000th anniversary of Rome. Is this coin also part of a series, and does the legend also signify that it was issued to commemorate some series of games Gallienus held, for an anniversary or other reason? Perhaps in Antioch?

 

That was my reaction as well when I first saw the coin. I wonder how much it resembles the actual legionary emblem. Although I suppose that when you look at the bucranium before the lion's paws on the other coin, the lion apparently won! (Which I don't think would happen in real life -- I seem to recall reading that in the animal fights held south of the border in Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th century, largely for a U.S. audience, bulls usually prevailed against other individual animals, including lions, tigers, and perhaps even bears. Not that it's really fair to make a lion fight or hunt as an individual rather than as a pride. And not that I approve of such fights; it makes me ill to think of actually watching one. At least gladiatorial bouts between humans didn't result in deaths nearly as often as people think. Whereas animals always died in the end.)

 

VERY cool reverses, @DonnaML ...

I like the Animal focus in your collection. Mine tends to run that way also, just an earlier period. Although, I enjoy gravitating to collecting History, the Animal theme is pleasing as I collect.

Well done to you. I am really enjoying your collection and the additions you have been capturing. Congrats!

I have been reading Ancient Egyptian chronical history of the Pharaohs. Someday, would enjoy seeing your collections and writeup. Fun.

Here is a Rhino from Egypt, just for the heck of it... Yeah, a bit of hi-jacking, but... How can you hijack cool animal coins in an Ancient Coins Forum???


RI Trajan Egypt AE Dichalkon Laureate hd L Rhinoceros walking L LI-Z yr 17 CE 113-114 12.9mm 1.25g Emmet 719 var. rhino right

 

Thank you. And while of course I will never condone hijacking as a regular practice, I love the rhino on your coin. I've been tempted several times to buy an example of the Domitian quadrans with a rhinoceros on the reverse, but they're usually so worn that you can't see the horns and the animal looks more like a boar than a rhino.

 

Gallienus AE20 of Alexandria, Troas. AD 253-268.

IMP LICIN GALLIENV, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
COL A TRO, Horse grazing right; behind, herdsman (Ordes) right, holding pedum.

Mionnet Supp. V, 332-333; Bellinger A454