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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Nemo, post: 2747282, member: 58462&quot;][USER=51347]@Alegandron[/USER], that is a fantastic piece! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]628350[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Civil Wars of 68-69 Clasped Hands</b></p><p>Civil Wars of 68-69 AD AR denarius. 3.49 g. Minted by pro-Vitellian forces in Southern Gaul. </p><p>O: FIDES EXERCITVVM, two clasped hands. </p><p>R: FIDES PRAETORIANORVM, two clasped hands. </p><p>-BMC 65; Martin 7; RIC² 121, Ex Jonathan P. Rosen, Ex Auktion Myers/Adams 7, New York 1974, Nr. 269.</p><p><br /></p><p>The message of a unified fidelity, or loyalty, of the &#039;armies&#039; (FIDES EXERCITVVM) and the praetorians (FIDES PRAETORIANORVM) would only be an effective propaganda tool if it was distributed among the praetorians.</p><p><br /></p><p>David R Sear, writing in RCV, agrees with Kraay (Num. Chron 1949, pp 78.) that this interesting, anonymous civil war issue was produced on behalf of Vitellius, to be used as &#039;bribe money&#039; to suborn the soldiers, as well as the Praetorian Guard, loyal to Otho in the capital. &quot;In March 69 AD, Vitellian commander Fabius Valens entered Italy from Southern Gaul at the head of a small band of secret agents. Their mission was to infiltrate the capital, especially the ranks of the Praetorians, with the object of disseminating pro-Vitellian propaganda and dissociating the guards from their allegiance to Otho. These coins, struck in advance in Southern Gaul, would thus have played a vital role as &#039;bribe money&#039;. Despite these covert activities, the Praetorians remained loyal to their Emperor, though all was to be for naught, as the following month, the invading army of Vitellius was victorious at the battle of Bedriacum, and Otho took his own life&quot; - David R Sear </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[USER=1969]@david[/USER], that is a once in a lifetime catch. I was an underbidder but mistakenly brought a knife to a gunfight....[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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