Marius reign last for about two or three months in the summer of 269 AD. When he was killed by his own soldiers, Victorinus took the power of the Gallic Empire. He has been a Praetorian Prefect during the time of Postumus. Analyzing the first issues of his coinage minted in the two official mints can teach us many interesting details. Let's talk first about Treveri (also called Mint I): it is possible that Victorinus was not far from that city when he became the new Emperor. Treveri (Imperial baths) Why can we say that ? First, the initial emission of radiates struck there contained his full name: M(arcus) PIAVVONIVS VICTORINVS. By the way, I think we need to congratulate the engravers at the mint who managed to compress a legend of 30 letters on a 18 mm flan ! The two reverses clearly demonstrated that the civil war was over [PAX] ,and that Victorinus had the full support of the loyal and united troops [FIDES MILITVM]. Keeping in mind the difficult times the Gallic Empire faced after the rebellion of Laelianus, the death of Postumus and the short reign of Marius, those reverses seem to promise a new peace era. About the portraiture on the new coins, we can notice a long bearded man with the famous hooked nose. Almost all modern references listed an issue with the Marius bust (also with the lengthened obverse legend) and the PAX reverse; but I have never seen a specimen of that coin. One of the British Museum coin with "Marius" portrait. Really ? On the contrary, I verified the 6 plate coins listed by Mairat (#558) and couldn't find a single example with the Marius portrait and his upturned and pointed nose. I admit that the new Emperor looks a bit different from the later issues, but maybe he just lost some weight after he wear the purple ?... So for those tree reasons, the full name, the ressemblance of the portrait and the clear propaganda messages of the two reverse types, some scholars believe that Victorinus was in the area of Treveri at the time of his crowning. My examples: Now about Mint II (Cologne), it is quite obvious that the die-engravers at the workshop did not know at all what the new ruler looks like; that's why the first issue there featured the portrait of the former Emperor, Marius. Roman vestiges in Cologne They didn't use his full name on the obverse legend, but instead the shortest denomination PI VICTORINVS. About the reverse type, the focus was made on Victorinus' attributes like his equity and fairness [AEQVITAS]. This classic reverse was introduced by Marius at the very end of his reign. We also see the introduction of a new reverse type, SALVS AVG, already used under Postumus, and its meaning is probably very general, on the general welfare brought by Victorinus. My examples: This is the Marius profile ! 50% Victorinus / 50% Marius ? Thanks for reading this boring thread. Please help it becoming interesting by posting your own FIRST ISSUES !
Informative and interesting thread, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix! Cool coins, too! We know from Beckmann's die-linkage study* that these three types formed the first issue for Faustina II. The empress delivered her first baby, a girl named Domitia Faustina, on 30 November, AD 147 and was made Augusta the following day. The three types refer to childbirth: Venus Genetrix ("Venus the Mother"), Venus' aspect as goddess of motherhood and domesticity; Juno Lucina (the aspect of Juno as goddess of childbirth); and LAETITIAE PVBLICAE ("public rejoicing"), celebrating cause for celebration. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman Æ as, 6.93 g, 26.1 mm, 11 h. Rome, AD 147-148. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, bust of Faustina II, draped and wearing band of pearls, right. Rev: VENERI GENETRICI S C, Venus standing facing, head left, holding up apple in right hand and holding child on left arm. Refs: RIC 1407a; BMCRE p. 375 *; Cohen 238; Strack 1306; RCV 4734. Notes: Die-match to specimens sold by CNG Jan. 7, 2014 and Künker Oct. 18, 2016. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman Æ as, 8.68 g, 25.9 mm. Rome, AD 147-148. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, bust of Faustina II, draped and wearing band of pearls, right. Rev: IVNONI LVCINAE S C, Juno, veiled, standing left, holding patera and scepter. Refs: RIC 1400A; BMCRE 2153-54; Cohen --; Strack 1299; RCV 4728. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman AR denarius, 3.03 g, 17.4 mm, 5 h. Rome, AD 147-148. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: LAETITIAE PVBLICAE, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath in in right hand and vertical scepter in left hand. Refs: RIC 506a; BMCRE 1048; Cohen/RSC 155; Strack 491; RCV 4705; CRE 195. *Beckmann, Martin, Faustina the Younger: Coinage, Portraits, and Public Image, A.N.S. Numismatic Studies 43, American Numismatic Society, New York, 2021, pp. 23 ff.
