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Macedonia, Pella AE21. 158-149 BC. Bust of Pan / Athena Alkidemos advancing right. Ref.Sear 1445

( I was given this coin as a bonus by an experienced collector / dealer, to attempt electrolysis on, he had been attempting to clean it with conventional methods for 1½ years, however it remained a nugget... I know some members will object, but 10 minuets in the bath of evil, and the crust just flaked off revealing a pretty and detailed coin!!! How I wish it was always so easy!!)Lee S

HENRY VI
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne at the age of nine months when his father died.
This was during the period of the long-running Hundred Years' War (1337 - 1453) and Henry is the only English monarch to also have been crowned King of France (as Henri II), in 1431. During his early reign several people were ruling for him and by the time Henry was declared fit to rule in 1437 he found his realm in a difficult position, faced with setbacks in France and divisions among the nobility at home. Henry is described as timid, shy, passive, well intentioned, and averse to warfare and violence; he was also at times mentally unstable. Partially in the hope of achieving peace, Henry married the ambitious and strong-willed Margaret of Anjou in 1445. The peace policy failed and the war recommenced with France taking the upper hand such that by 1453 Calais was Henry's only remaining territory on the continent.
With Henry effectively unfit to rule, Queen Margaret took advantage of the situation to make herself an effective power behind the throne. Starting around 1453 Henry began suffering a series of mental breakdowns and tensions mounted between Margaret and Richard of York, not only over control of the incapacitated king's government, but over the question of succession to the throne. Civil war broke out in 1459, leading to a long period of dynastic conflict, now known as the Wars of the Roses. Henry was deposed on 29th March 1461 after a crushing defeat at the Battle of Towton by Richard of York's son, who took the throne as Edward IV. Margaret continuing to resist Edward, but Henry was captured by Edward's forces in 1465 and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Queen Margaret, who was first exiled in Scotland and then in France, was still determined to win back the throne on behalf of her husband and son. So, when Edward IV fell out with two of his main supporters, Richard Neville the Earl of Warwick and George the Duke of Clarence, Margaret formed a secret alliance with them backed by Louis XI of France. Warwick returned with an army to England, forced Edward IV into exile, and restored Henry VI to the throne on 30th October 1470, though Henry's position was nominal as Warwick and Clarence effectively ruled in his name.
But Henry's return to the throne lasted less than six months. Warwick overreached himself by declaring war on Burgundy, whose ruler responded by giving Edward IV the assistance he needed to win back his throne by force. Edward retook power in 1471, killing Warwick at the Battle of Barnet and Henry's only son at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Henry was again imprisoned in the Tower where, during the night of 21st May he died, possibly killed on Edward's orders.*Alex

UNITED STATES TOKENS, Hard Times. Political issues
CU Token (28mm, 8.74 g, 1h)
Dies by John Gibbs. Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Struck 1838.
* AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE
Ship under sail right
A FRIEND */ TO THE CONSTITUTION
Bull standing right
Rulau HT 24; Low 66 Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Hard Times. Political issues. Gulian C. Verplanck.
Brass Token (27mm, 6.08 g, 6 h). Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Struck 1834.
GULIAN . C . VERPLANCK OUR NEXT . GOVNR., bust left
* A FAITHFUL . FRIEND */ TO OUR COUNTRY
Eagle standing right, with wings spread and head left, clutching olive branch and arrows in claws
Rulau HT 30; Low 16Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Hard Times. Political issues.
CU Token (30mm, 11.19 g, 6h). Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1837
· (rosette) · EXECUTIVE · (rosette) ·/ EXPERIMENT. Turtle walking right, bearing chest labelled SUB/ TREASURY; 1837/ FISCAL AGENT · (rosette) ·
ILLUSTRIOUS · (rosette) ·/ PREDECESSOR. Mule leaping left; above, I FOLLOW/ IN THE, below, STEPS/ OF MY
Rulau HT 32; Low 18Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Hard Times. Political issues.
CU Token (28.5mm, 10.36 g, 6 h). Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1837.
Laureate head of Liberty right; above, E. PLURIBUS UNUM on ribbon; thirteen stars around; 1837
MILLIONS FOR DEFENCE. Within wreath: NOT/ ONE/ CENT/ -/ FOR TRIBUTE
Rulau HT 48; Low 28Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Hard Times. Political issues.
CU Token (29mm, 8.98 g, 11h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1838
Head of Liberty (or native American?) left, wearing ribbon inscribed LOCO FOCO; thirteen stars around; 1838
* BENTON */ EXPER IMENT. MINT/ DROP/ – within wreath
Rulau HT 63; Low 55Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Hard Times. Political issues.
CU Token (28.5mm, 8.53 g, 12h). Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Struck 1837-1842.
· (rosette) · I TAKE THE · (rosette) ·/ RESPONSIBILITY, half length bust of Jackson emerging from chest, holding saber and money bag
· THE CONSTITUTION ·/ AS I UNDERSTAND IT. Mule standing left, LL.D on flank; above, ROMAN/ FIRMNESS; below, VETO
Rulau HT 72; Low 53

Ex Steve Hayden (20 July 2014), lot 429; Don Miller Collection; William Dunham Collection (B. Max Mehl, 3 August 1941), lot 26271 commentsArdatirion

UNITED STATES, Political campaign tokens. William Henry Harrison. President, March 4-April 4 1841.
Æ Political Medallet (23mm, 4.22 g, 12 h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dually dated 9 February 1773 and 1841
MAJ. GEN. W. H. HARRISON/ * BORN FEB. 9. 1773*
Bust of William Henry Harrison left in military uniform
STEAM BOAT VAN BUREN/ FOR SALT RIVER DIRECT.
Early steamboat sailing right with banner inscribed 1841; LOCO-FOCO/ LINE below. '
With attached contemporary ribbon.
Rulau HT 817; Low -Ardatirion

UNITED STATES TOKENS, Hard Times. Political issues.
CU Token (27mm, 6.59 g, 11 h)
Dies by Joseph B. Gardiner. Belleville (New Jersey) or Scoville mint. Struck 1840.
HENRY CLAY AND THE AMERICAN SYSTEM
Draped bust of Henry Clay right; IBG below
UNITED/ [WE]/ STAND within wreath
Rulau HT 79; Low 192

Rulau gives a struck date of 1840 for this issue, and assigns it to the Belleville mint. However, documentary evidence shows that Gardiner was by this time working at the Scoville mint in Waterbury, CT. Either the coin was struck prior to spring 1839, or it is an issue of the Scoville mint. Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Hard Times. Political issues.
CU Token (28.5mm, 8.53 g, 12h). Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1838.
AM I NOT A WOMAN & A SISTER, hained female slave kneeling right, raising arms in supplication; * 1838 * below UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY/ 1838 within wreath
Rulau HT 81; Low 54

Ex Album 33 (17 January 2019), lot 2542

June 1900 saw a brief flurry of journalistic interest in the "Am I Not A Woman & A Sister" tokens. A specimen had been found in a garden in Indiana, apparently in one of the many towns that claim a connection to the Underground Railroad, and received a glowing and fanciful write up in the local newspaper. The paper claimed that it was a "Talisman of Slavery," and used as a token to ensure safe passage along the escaped slave's route, and that it was a very rare piece. The following week a newspaper in Maine recorded that a local collector had another example, again drawing a purported connection to the Underground Railroad. Astutely, the July 1900 edition of the American Journal of Numismatics pointed out that, while an isolated use like this was possible, it was not what the tokens were originally intended for.Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Hard Times. Belleville, New Jersey. John Gibbs, manufacturer
CU Token. Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dies by John Gibbs. Struck circa 1838.
* AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE, ship under sail right
J GIBBS MANUFACTURER/ [OF]/ MEDALS/ AND/ TOKENS/ &C/ NJ/ * BELLEVILLE
Rulau HT 202; Low 150

Ex Robert Williams Collection (Steve Hayden, 11 December 2016), lot 363; Steve Hayden (2 December 2012), lot 585Ardatirion

UNITED STATES TOKENS, Hard Times. Belleville, New Jersey. “T. Duseaman, butcher”
CU Token (28mm, 10.84 g, 1h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Struck 1837
AGRICULTURE & COMMERCE/ * BAS CANADA *
Bouquet
T. DUSEAMAN BUTCHER/ * BELLEVILLE *
Eagle standing left, with wings spread and head left, holding shield emblazoned with anchor; thirteens stars around
Rulau HT 204; Low 148; Corteau 71; Charlton LC-45; Breton 670

T. Duseaman never existed. This type was struck from a rejected die for the token of one Tobias Seaman, a butcher in Belleville. Mint workers added a U to the name and combined it with a damaged die from the Lower Canada series to produce this currency issue. Breton notes that the type is most often found in Canada, suggesting that it was deliberately produced at minimal cost for sale to Canadian brokers. Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Trade Tokens. Belleville, New Jersey. Tobias D. Seaman, butcher
CU Token. Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dies by Gibbs. Struck 1837.
T. D. SEAMAN BUTCHER./ * BELLEVILLE *. Bouquet.
* A FRIEND */ TO THE CONSTITUTION, Bull standing right; c/m: minute D above.
Rulau HT 204B; Low 155

Ex Don Miller Collection; William Dunham Collection (B. Max Mehl, 3 August 1941), lot 2713

Tobias Seaman was apparently not primarily engaged as a butcher, finding more success as a hotelier. He was the proprietor of Mansion House in Belleville and, later, of the Mechanic's Hotel in Newark circa 1845-1851, and the South Ward Hotel thereafter. For a brief time he was also the owner of a stage line to New York and, "a horseman of great noteriety."(W. Shaw, History of Essex and Hudson Counties, New Jersey. New York, 1884. p. 890-a)Ardatirion

UNITED STATES, Trade Tokens. New York, New York. John H. Dayton, Union Steam Washing.
CU Token (28.5mm, 9.85 g, 12 h) Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dies by John Gibbs. Dated 1837
Laureate head of Liberty right; above, E. PLURIBUS UNUM on ribbon; thirteen stars around; 1837; c/m: small D above, '61' in white ink to left
* JAY. H. DAYTONS. UNION STEAM WASHING EST./ * 17th St. NEAR 5th AVENUE * NY/, WASHING/ DONE FOR/ SHIPS. ST BOATS/ HOTELS &/ PRIVATE FAMILIES
Rulau HT 249, Low 114

Ex Don Miller Collection; William Dunham Collection (B. Max Mehl, 3 August 1941), lot 2680Ardatirion

UNITED STATES TOKENS, Hard Times. New York, New York. Henry Law, baker.
CU Token (29mm, 8.60 g, 12 h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Struck 1834-1835
ENGLISH BREAD/ TWIST & FANCY CAKES
Bushel of wheat
H. LAW BAKER/ 187 CANAL St NEW YORK
Eagle standing right, with wings spread and head left, shield on breast and olive branch in talons
Rulau HT 286; Low 261

Henry Law was married to Charlotte (née Stephens), the sister of William Stephens, a partner in one of the two firms that comprised the Belleville mint. Henry's bakery moved to Canal St. in 1834 and was closed in late 1834 or early 1835, when its proprietor died. Charlotte and her children later moved to Belleville. Ardatirion

CANADA, Tokens. Bas (Lower) Canada. Banque du Peuple du Montreal.
CU Sou Token (28mm, 8.73 g, 11h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dies by John Gibbs. Struck 1838.
AGRICULTURE & COMMERCE/ * BAS CANADA *
Bouquet BANQUE DU PEUPLE./ MONTREAL.
UN SOU within wreath of oak leaves
Charlton LC-5A3; Corteau 17; Breton 715Ardatirion

CANADA, Tokens. Bas (Lower) Canada. Montreal.
CU Sou Token
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Struck 1837-1838.
AGRICULTURE & COMMERCE/ * BAS CANADA *, bouquet
UN/ SOU within wreath; TOKEN above, MONTREAL below
Charlton LC-24A1; Breton 679Ardatirion

CANADA, Tokens. Bas (Lower) Canada. Montreal.
CU Sou Token (27mm, 6.59 g, 12h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dies by John Gibbs. Struck 1838/9 or later.
AGRICULTURE & COMMERCE/ * BAS CANADA *, bouquet
UN/ SOU within wreath; TOKEN above, MONTREAL below
Charlton LC-27A1; Breton 710; Corteau 43BArdatirion

CANADA, Tokens. Bas (Lower) Canada. Montreal.
CU Sou Token (27mm, 6.79 g, 12h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dies by John Gibbs. Struck 1838/9 or later.
AGRICULTURE & COMMERCE/ * BAS CANADA *, bouquet
UN/ SOU within wreath; TOKEN above, MONTREAL below
Charlton LC-28; Breton 702; Corteau 29BArdatirion

CANADA, Tokens. Bas (Lower) Canada. Montreal.
CU Sou Token
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Struck 1837-1838
AGRICULTURE & COMMERCE/ * BAS CANADA *, bouquet
UN/ SOU within wreath; TOKEN above, MONTREAL below
Charlton LC-29E1; Breton 697Ardatirion

CANADA, Tokens. Bas (Lower) Canada. Montreal.
CU Sou Token (28mm, 8.73 g, 11h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dies by John Gibbs. Struck 1838/9 or later.
AGRICULTURE & COMMERCE/ * BAS CANADA *, bouquet
UN/ SOU within wreath; TOKEN above, MONTREAL below
Charlton LC-32B; Breton 692; Corteau 32B

Ex G.F. Landon Collection (Moore Numismatic Auctions, 10 February 2015), lot 60 (part of)Ardatirion

CANADA, Tokens. Nova Scotia. William IV. King of Great Britain, 1830-1837.
CU Penny Token (34.5 mm, 14.27 g, 6 h)
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1832, but struck circa 1835.
PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA
Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
ONE PENNY TOKEN, thistle with two leaves; 1832 below
Charlton NS-4A2; Breton 870

Canadian catalogs traditionally give this issue to an illicit mint in Montreal. Wayne Jacobs1 argues that these were struck in Belleville. While his methodology is somewhat questionable - most of his theory is based off a unreliable editorial in an 1893 edition of the Newark Sunday Call - his reasoning regarding this series is sound. He is able to clearly demonstrate that the halfpenny and penny tokens in question are a product of a single, cohesive establishment which could not have been located in Lower Canada. Finally, Jacobs' claim can be supported by documentary evidence from the Belleville mint's primary competitor, the Scoville Company of Waterbury, Connecticut. A letter from J.M.L. to W.H. Scoville, dated April 4 1839, states that, "a competitor was stamping Canada Nova Scotia and Southern coins at 35 cents a pound."

1. Jacobs, Wayne. 1996. “The Shadowy Issues of the Belleville Mint.” Canadian Numismatic Journal 41 1: 13–26.1 commentsArdatirion

CANADA, Nova Scotia. William IV King of Great Britain, 1830-1837
CU Halfpenny Token
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1832, but struck circa 1835
PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
HALFPENNY TOKEN, thistle with two leaves; 1832 below
Charlton NS-3A1; Corteau 277; Breton 871

The first obverse die for the series. This obverse would be extensively reused, eventually rusting, being polished and re-engraved, and develop the diagnostic die break before the nose.
Ardatirion

CANADA, Nova Scotia. William IV King of Great Britain, 1830-1837
CU Halfpenny Token
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1832, but struck circa 1835
PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
HALFPENNY TOKEN, thistle with two leaves; 1832 below
Charlton NS-3A2; Corteau 278, tentative die state 6; Breton 871

“Old residents state that these counterfeits were brought, in large quantities to St. John, N.B., and from thence distributed through fishing vessels to Nova Scotian out ports. And informant tells of having seen a fisherman from Yarmouth paid for his catch in this coin.” R.W. McLachlan (Annals of the Nova Scotian Coinage, p. 37)1 commentsArdatirion

CANADA, Nova Scotia. William IV King of Great Britain, 1830-1837
CU Halfpenny Token
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1832, but struck circa 1835
PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
HALFPENNY TOKEN, thistle with two leaves; 1832 (over 1382) below
Charlton NS-3C; Corteau 281; Breton 871

This reverse die was initially engraved with the anachronistic date 1382, but was quickly caught and corrected, leaving only a handful of that extremely rare variety known today. Ardatirion

LIBERIA, American Colonization Society. 1820-1847.
CU Cent (28.5mm, 10.38 g, 1h). Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dies by Gibbs. Dated 1833.
LIBERIA. Nude man standing before shore, cutting at tree to left; brush to right; in distance, ship under sail right; 1833 in exergue
AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY/ ONE CENT. FOUNDED/ A.D./ 1816
Snyder dies 2/B; Colver & Harley 2; KM Tn 1Ardatirion

LIBERIA, American Colonization Society. 1820-1847.
CU Cent. Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1833.
LIBERIA. Nude man standing before shore, cutting at tree to left; brush to right; in distance, ship under sail right; 1833 in exergue
AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY/ ONE CENT. FOUNDED/ A.D./ 1816
Snyder dies 2/B; Colver & Harley 2; KM Tn 1

Ex Westfälische Auktionsgesellschaft Online Auction 91 (4 November 2018), lot 259Ardatirion

LIBERIA, American Colonization Society. 1820-1847
CU Cent
Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1833
LIBERIA, Nude man standing before shore, cutting at tree to left; brush to right; in distance, ship under sail right; 1833 in exergue
AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY/ ONE CENT. FOUNDED/ A.D./ 1816
Snyder dies 4/D; Colver & Harley 4; KM Tn1

The final regular strike in the sequence. Ardatirion

LIBERIA, American Colonization Society. 1820-1847.
CU Cent. Belleville (New Jersey) mint. Dated 1833.
LIBERIA, nude man standing before shore, cutting at tree to left; brush to right; in distance, ship under sail right; 1833 in exergue
AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY/ ONE CENT. FOUNDED/ A.D./ 1816
Snyder dies 1/D; Colver & Harley –; KM Tn2

Ex Katz E-Auction 24 (14 August 2019), lot 900

The obverse of this token is from the first regular circulation issue, here heavily repolished and paired with a die from one of the final strikes, linking the two otherwise distinct sets of obverse dies. Only seven examples of this pairing are known. Snyder notes that die pairing 3/C, presently unlinked to others, could place between the first (obv 5 & 1) and second group (obv 2 &4). As obverses 3 and 4 both occur with significant breaks, this 1/D pairing may have been struck to replace either 3 or 4, with the later being more likely considering the sequence, and the 3/C pair the final set of dies used. Ardatirion

HAITI, Premier République. Jean Pierre Boyer. President, 1825-1843
Brass 50 Centimes (25.5mm, 4.26 g, 12h)
Contemporary counterfeit. Dated L'An 25 of the Republic (AD 1828/9)
J * BOYER * PRESIDENTE *, AN 25
Bust left
REPUBLIQUE D'HAITI */ 50 * C
Palm tree flanked by cannon and banners
KM 20a; cf. Arroyo 105 (for official issue); Lissade 96; iNumis 25, lot 1352

On 1 June 1835, local officials arrested engraver Joseph Gardner of Belleville on charges of counterfeiting. When searching his house, officials discovered dies for Spanish 8 reales in various states of completion, coining implements, a bag of gold dust, and several bags of "spurious Haytien coppers." Yet Gardner was not the only individual striking illicit Haitian coins. James Bishop of neighboring Bloomfield, New Jersey had been arrested several months before, and a third person was responsible for the issue brought to Haiti by Jeremiah Hamilton.

Today, two distinct issues of counterfeits can be identified: a group of 25 and 50 Centimes, clearly related in fabric, and two different dates of 100 Centimes. The smaller denominations are most often found lacking a silver plating, while the plating year 26 100 Centimes is fine enough to deceive the likes of NGC and Heritage. Additionally, there are a handful year 27 100 centimes overstruck on US large cents. While I have not yet found a regular strike from these dies, they are the most likely candidate for Belleville's production. Ardatirion

001 Caesar (100-44 B.C.), AR-denarius, Crawf 443-1, Plated (Fouree), Military mint travelling with Caesar (Gaul), #2001 Caesar (100-44 B.C.), AR-denarius, Crawf 443-1, Plated (Fouree), Military mint travelling with Caesar (Gaul), #2
avers:-CAESAR in exergue, elephant right, trampling on serpent.
revers:- Simpulum, sprinkler, axe (surmounted by a wolf's head) and priest's hat.
exerg:-/-//CAESAR, diameter: 17-20mm, weight: 2,66g, axes: 5h,
mint: Military mint travelling with Caesar (Gaul), date: 49-48 B.C., ref: Crawford-443/1, Sydneham-1006, RSC-49, BMCRR (Gaul) 27
Q-002
"This is the first coin struck in the name of Julius Caesar. The symbolism on the obverse apparently alludes to the conquest of good over evil, Caesar's victory over the Gauls, while the reverse refers to Caesar's possession of the office of Pontifex Maximus."1 commentsquadrans

001 Caesar (100-44 B.C.), Crawf 443-1, Military mint traveling with Caesar (Gaul), AR-denarius, #1001 Caesar (100-44 B.C.), Crawf 443-1, Military mint traveling with Caesar (Gaul), AR-denarius, #1
avers: CAESAR in exergue, elephant right, trampling on a serpent.
reverse: Simpulum, sprinkler, axe (surmounted by a wolf's head) and priest's hat.
exergue: -/-//CAESAR, diameter: 18,5-19,0mm, weight: 3,93g, axes: 4h,
mint: Military mint travelling with Caesar (Gaul), date: 49-48 B.C., ref: Crawford-443/1, Sydenham-1006, RSC-49, BMCRR (Gaul) 27
Q-001
"This is the first coin struck in the name of Julius Caesar. The symbolism on the obverse apparently alludes to the conquest of good over evil, Caesar's victory over the Gauls, while the reverse refers to Caesar's possession of the office of Pontifex Maximus."4 commentsquadrans

001 Caesar (100-44 B.C.), Crawf 443-1, Military mint traveling with Caesar (Gaul), AR-denarius, #2001 Caesar (100-44 B.C.), Crawf 443-1, Military mint traveling with Caesar (Gaul), AR-denarius, #2
avers: CAESAR in exergue, elephant right, trampling on a serpent.
reverse: Simpulum, sprinkler, axe (surmounted by a wolf's head) and priest's hat.
exergue: -/-//CAESAR, diameter: 19mm, weight: 3,65g, axes: 10h,
mint: Military mint travelling with Caesar (Gaul), date: 49-48 B.C., ref: Crawford-443/1, Sydenham-1006, RSC-49, BMCRR (Gaul) 27
Q-002
"This is the first coin struck in the name of Julius Caesar. The symbolism on the obverse apparently alludes to the conquest of good over evil, Caesar's victory over the Gauls, while the reverse refers to Caesar's possession of the office of Pontifex Maximus."quadrans

001 Caesar (100-44 B.C.), Crawf 443-1, Military mint traveling with Caesar (Gaul), AR-denarius, Plated (Fouree), #1001 Caesar (100-44 B.C.), Crawf 443-1, Military mint traveling with Caesar (Gaul), AR-denarius, Plated (Fouree), #1
avers: CAESAR in exergue, elephant right, trampling on a serpent.
reverse: Simpulum, sprinkler, axe (surmounted by a wolf's head) and priest's hat.
exergue: -/-//CAESAR, diameter: 17-20mm, weight: 2,66g, axes: 5h,
mint: Military mint travelling with Caesar (Gaul), date: 49-48 B.C., ref: Crawford-443/1, Sydenham-1006, RSC-49, BMCRR (Gaul) 27
Q-001
"This is the first coin struck in the name of Julius Caesar. The symbolism on the obverse apparently alludes to the conquest of good over evil, Caesar's victory over the Gauls, while the reverse refers to Caesar's possession of the office of Pontifex Maximus."quadrans

01 01 Julius Caesar Julius Caesar. 49-44 B.C. AR Denarius. Military mint traveling with Caesar in Gaul. c. 49-48 B.C. (3.72g, 19.0m, 4h). Obv: CAESAR in ex., elephant r. trampling serpent. Rev: simpulum, sprinkler, axe surmounted by wolf’s head, and apex. Cr 443/1; Syd. 1006.

This is the first issue in Caesar’s name. The obverse could symbolize the victory of good over evil in general, or the victory of Caesar’s forces over the Pompeians specifically. The reverse clearly refers to Caesar’s status as Pontifex Maximus.3 commentsLucas H

01-68 - Irripo, Hispania - AUGUSTO (27 A.C. - 14 D.C.)Hoy Alcalá de Guadaira - Sevilla - España
AE Semis 19/21 mm 3.5 gr.

Anv: "IRIPPO" (Leyenda anti-horaria frente al busto)- Busto a cabeza desnuda viendo a izquierda.
Rev: Figura femenina/Tyche sentada a izquierda, portando piña en la mano de su brazo derecho extendido y cornucopia en izquierda; Guirnalda rodeando la alegoría.

Acuñada 30 A.C.
Ceca: Irippo - Hispania

Referencias: RPC I #55 P.76, Burgos #1581, Sear GICTV #17 Pag.3, Villaronga CNH #4 P.422, ABH (Ant) #1109 P.141, Ripolles #1919 P.251, Vv Pl.110 #1 a 4, Heiss #1 P.318 - Calicó #935-937, Guadan #922, ACIP #2630mdelvalle

0199 - Denarius Licinia 55 BCObv/ Laureate bust of Venus r., togate and with stephane; behind, SC.
Rev/ Female figure standing front, leading horse and holding spear; at feet, cuirass and shield; around, P CRASSVS M F.

Ag, 4.09 g
Moneyer: P. Licinius Crassus M.f.
Mint: Rome.
RRC 430/1 - BMCRR Rome 3901 - Syd. 929 - RSC Licinia 18
ex-Bremens-Belleville, november 2014, lot 363 (ex-St.Florian monastery, Dorotheum, june 1956, lot 2764 / ex. Apostolo Zeno colln., 18th c.)1 commentsdafnis

0224 - 1 Real Reyes Católicos c.1535 ACObv/ Coat of arms flanked by X and X; around, : FERNANDVS : 7 : ELISABET - D
Rev/ Arrows and yoke, points around, below S. Around, + : REX : 7 : REGINA : CASTELE : LEGI

Ag, 26.5 mm, 3.28 g
Mint: Sevilla
Calicó -- - F6.8.1var
ex-Áureo & Calicó, auction Isabel de Tratámara, vol IX, lot 885dafnis

0225 - 1 real Enrique II 1369-79 ACObv/ Crowned monogram, around in two lines DOMINVS : MICHI : AIDVTOR : EDEGO : DIS + / PICIAM : INIMICOS : MEOS
Rev/ Castles and lions divided by cross, around roses and S below; around ENRICVS : DEI : GRACIA : REX : CASTEL +

Ag, 26.9 mm, 3.46 g
Mint: Sevilla
AB406 - Cy 98/1247 - Cy/1313
ex-Cayón, speed auction 55, lot 9131dafnis

0227 - 1 Real Enrique IV 1454-74 ACObv/ Bust of Henry IV l.; around, ENRICVS QARTVS DEI GRACIS REX C +, words separated by roses
Rev/ Castles and lions divided by cross; around, ENRICVS REX CASTELE ET LEGION +, words separated by roses; S below

Ag, 27.5 mm, 3.31 g
Mint: Sevilla
AB685 - Cy98/1493a
ex-Spink, The Numismatic Collector's Series, lot 741dafnis

027 BC-14 AD - AUGUSTUS AR denarius - struck 19-18 BCobv: CAESAR AVGVSTVS (bare head left, banker's mark on face)
rev: SIGNIS RECEPTIS (Mars standing left, head right, with aquila and standard)
ref: RIC I 82a, RSC 259 (4frcs), BMC 414.
mint: Colonia Patricia
3.41gms, 19mm
Rare

History: The Parthians had captured the standards of the legions under the command of Marcus Licinius Crassus (53 BC, at the Battle of Carrhae), Decidius Saxa (40 BC), and Marc Antony (36 BC). It was considered a grave moral defeat and evil omen for the Romans. It required a generation of diplomacy before the Parthians returned them. Their return was considered a great triumph by Augustus, and celebrated like a military victory. He took an ovation entering Rome on horseback and being honoured with a triumphal arch in the year 20 BC. This coin struck in Colonia Patricia (today Cordoba, Spain).1 commentsberserker

04-40 - Cnia. Itálica - TIBERIO (14 - 37 D.C.)AE AS 27/29 mm 13.85 gr.

Anv: "TI CAESAR AVGVSTVS PONT MAX IMP" (Leyenda anti-horaria), Cabeza desnuda viendo a derecha.
Rev: "MVNIC ITALIC PERM DIVI AVG" (Leyenda anti-horaria), Altar en el que se inscribe en tres líneas "PROVIDE / NTIAE / AVGVSTI".

Acuñada 14 - 37 D.C.
Ceca: Cnia. Municipium Itálica, Hispania (Hoy Saltipontes, Sevilla, España)

Referencias: RPC #65, SNG Cop #417, ACIP #3333, Vives Pl.CLXVIII #9, ABH #1593, Burgos #1250, Chaves #115-263, GMI #A1049-1051, FAB #1683 P.205, Sear GICV #253 P.24, Cohen I #89 P.197, Heiss #8 P.380, Mionnet Vol.I #131 P.17/18mdelvalle

05 - 40 - Cnia. Itálica - DRUSO (20 - 23 D.C.)AE Semis 23 mm 4.95 gr.

Anv: "DRVSVS CAESAR TI AVG F" (Leyenda anti-horaria), Cabeza desnuda viendo a derecha.
Rev: Aquila (Águila Legionaria) y Vexillum (Estandarte) entre dos Signa (Insignias militares), "MUNIC ITALIC" (Leyenda anti-horaria), "PE-R / AV-G" en campo centro.

Acuñada 20 - 23 D.C.
Ceca: Cnia. Municipium Itálica, Hispania (Hoy Saltiponce, Sevilla, España)

Referencias: RPC #71, SNG Cop #419, ACIP #3340, Vives Pl.CLXVIII #12, ABH #1596, FAB #1685 P.205, Sear GICV #338 P.31, RAH #2012-20 Pag. 259/60 - DC y P #3 Pag.215, Cohen I #9 Pag.218, Heiss #10 Pag.380mdelvalle

08 - Charleville et Sedan, Ardennes, France.Chambre de Commerce de Charleville et Sedan, Ardennes.
Aluminium, 19 mm
A/ CHARLEVILLE & SEDAN / CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE / 1921
R/ 5 c
Réfs : Elie 10.1
Gabalor

117-138 AD - HADRIAN AR denarius - struck 134-138 ADobv: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P (laureate head right)
rev: HISPANIA (Hispania reclining left, resting on rock, holding branch, rabbit at her feet)
ref: RIC II 306d, RSC 837 (5frcs)
mint: Rome
2.53gms, 18mm
Scarce
A scarce denarius - part of the famous 'travel series'. Hadrian visited to Hispania at the end of 122 AD, spent the winter at Tarraco (today Tarragona), and here he restored at his own expense the temple of Augustus. He was also in Gades (Cadiz) and Italica (Sevilla), where was the birthplace of emperor Trajan. Hadrian was generous to his settled town, which he made a colonia; he added temples, including a Trajaneum venerating Trajan, and rebuilt several public buildings. berserker

1302a, Maximian, 285 - 305, 306 - 308, and 310 A.D.Maximianus AE Antoninianus. RIC V Part II 506 Bust Type C. Cohen 355; VF; Minted in Rome A.D. 285-286. Obverse: IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right; Rverse: IOVI CONSERVAT AVGG, Jupiter standing left holding thunderbolt & scepter, XXIZ in exergue. Ex maridvnvm.

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Maximian, 285-305, 306-308, and 310 A.D.

Michael DiMaio, Jr.
Salve Regina University

Perhaps born ca. 249/250 A.D. in Sirmium in the area of the Balkans, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus, more commonly known as Maximianus Herculius (Maximian), had been a soldier before he put on the purple. A fellow soldier with the Emperor Diocletian, he had served in the military during the reigns of Aurelian and Probus.

When the Emperor Diocletian determined that the empire was too large for one man to govern on his own, he made Maximian his Caesar in 285/6 and elevated him to the rank of Augustus in perhaps the spring of 286. While Diocletian ruled in the East, Maximian ruled in the West. In 293, in order to maintain and to strengthen the stability of the empire, Diocletian appointed Constantius I Chlorus to serve Maximian as a Caesar in the West, while Galerius did the same job in the East. This arrangement, called the "Tetrarchy", was meant not only to provide a stronger foundation for the two emperors' rule, but also to end any possible fighting over the succession to the throne once the two senior Augusti had left the throne--a problem which had bedeviled the principate since the time of the Emperor Augustus. To cement the relationship between Maximian and his Caesar, Constantius married Maximian's elder daughter Theodora. A decade later, Constantius' son Constantine would marry Maximia's younger daughter Fausta.

On 1 May 305 Diocletian, at Nicomedeia, and Maximian, at Mediolanum, divested themselves of the purple. Their resignations seem largely due to the almost fatal illness that Diocletian contracted toward the end of 304. Diocletian seems to have forced his colleague to abdicate. In any case, Herculius had sworn an oath at the temple of Capitoline Jupiter to carry out the terms of the abdication. Constantius and Galerius were appointed as Augusti, with Maximinus Daia and Severus as the new Caesars. The retired emperors then returned to private life. Diocletian's retirement was at Salonae in Dalmatia, while Herculius' retreat was either in Lucania or Campania.

Maximian's retirement, however, was of short duration because, a little more than a year later on 28 October 306, his son Maxentius was proclaimed emperor at Rome. To give his regime an aura of legitimacy, Maximian was forced to affirm his son's acclamation. When Galerius learned of Maxentius' rebellion, he sent Severus against him with an army that had formerly been under his father's command. Maxentius invested his father with the purple again to win over his enemy's troops, a ruse which succeeded. Perhaps to strengthen his own position, in 307 Maximian went to Gaul and married his daughter Fausta to Constantine. When Constantine refused to become embroiled in the civil war between Galerius and Maxentius, Maximian returned to Rome in 308 and attempted to depose his son; however, he did not succeed. When Maximian was unable to convince Diocletian to take up the purple again at a meeting in Carnuntum in late 308, he returned to his son-in-law's side in Gaul.

Although Maximian was treated with all of the respect due a former emperor, he still desired to be more than a figurehead. He decided to seize the purple from Constantine when his son-in-law least expected it. His opportunity came in the summer of 310 when the Franks revolted. When Constantine had taken a small part of his army into enemy territory, Maximian proclaimed himself again emperor and paid the soldiers under his command a donative to secure their loyalty. As soon as Constantine received news about Maximian's revolt in July 310, he went south and reached Arelate before his father-in-law could mount a defense of the city. Although Maximian fled to Massilia, his son-in-law seized the city and took Maximian prisoner. Although he was deprived of the purple, he was granted pardon for his crimes. Unable to endure the humiliation of his defeat, he attempted to have Constantine murdered in his bed. The plot failed because he tried to get his daughter Fausta's help in the matter; she chose to reveal the matter to her husband. Because of this attempt on his son-in-law's life Maximian was dead by the end of July either by his own hand or on the orders of his intended victim.

Eutropia was of Syrian extraction and her marriage to Maximian seems to have been her second. She bore him two children: Maxentius and Fausta. An older daughter, Theodora, may have been a product of her first marriage. Fausta became the wife of Constantine I , while her sister Theodora was the second spouse of his father Constantius I Chlorus . Eutropia apparently survived all her children, with the possible exception of her daughter Fausta who seems to have died in 326. Eutropia is also said to have become a Christian.

By Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr. Cleisthenes

1302b, Maximian, 285-305, 306-308, and 310 A.D., commemorative issued by Constantine the Great (Siscia)Maximian, 285-305, 306-308, and 310 A.D., commemorative issued by Constantine the Great. Bronze AE3, RIC 41, VF, Siscia, 1.30g, 16.1mm, 0o, 317-318 A.D. Obverse: DIVO MAXIMIANO SEN FORT IMP, laureate and veiled head right; Reverse: REQVIES OPTIMO-RVM MERITORVM, Emperor seated left on curule chair, raising hand and holding scepter, SIS in exergue; scarce (R3).

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Maximian, 285-305, 306-308, and 310 A.D.

Michael DiMaio, Jr.
Salve Regina University

Perhaps born ca. 249/250 A.D. in Sirmium in the area of the Balkans, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus, more commonly known as Maximianus Herculius (Maximian), had been a soldier before he put on the purple. A fellow soldier with the Emperor Diocletian, he had served in the military during the reigns of Aurelian and Probus.

When the Emperor Diocletian determined that the empire was too large for one man to govern on his own, he made Maximian his Caesar in 285/6 and elevated him to the rank of Augustus in perhaps the spring of 286. While Diocletian ruled in the East, Maximian ruled in the West. In 293, in order to maintain and to strengthen the stability of the empire, Diocletian appointed Constantius I Chlorus to serve Maximian as a Caesar in the West, while Galerius did the same job in the East. This arrangement, called the "Tetrarchy", was meant not only to provide a stronger foundation for the two emperors' rule, but also to end any possible fighting over the succession to the throne once the two senior Augusti had left the throne--a problem which had bedeviled the principate since the time of the Emperor Augustus. To cement the relationship between Maximian and his Caesar, Constantius married Maximian's elder daughter Theodora. A decade later, Constantius' son Constantine would marry Maximia's younger daughter Fausta.

On 1 May 305 Diocletian, at Nicomedeia, and Maximian, at Mediolanum, divested themselves of the purple. Their resignations seem largely due to the almost fatal illness that Diocletian contracted toward the end of 304. Diocletian seems to have forced his colleague to abdicate. In any case, Herculius had sworn an oath at the temple of Capitoline Jupiter to carry out the terms of the abdication. Constantius and Galerius were appointed as Augusti, with Maximinus Daia and Severus as the new Caesars. The retired emperors then returned to private life. Diocletian's retirement was at Salonae in Dalmatia, while Herculius' retreat was either in Lucania or Campania.

Maximian's retirement, however, was of short duration because, a little more than a year later on 28 October 306, his son Maxentius was proclaimed emperor at Rome. To give his regime an aura of legitimacy, Maximian was forced to affirm his son's acclamation. When Galerius learned of Maxentius' rebellion, he sent Severus against him with an army that had formerly been under his father's command. Maxentius invested his father with the purple again to win over his enemy's troops, a ruse which succeeded. Perhaps to strengthen his own position, in 307 Maximian went to Gaul and married his daughter Fausta to Constantine. When Constantine refused to become embroiled in the civil war between Galerius and Maxentius, Maximian returned to Rome in 308 and attempted to depose his son; however, he did not succeed. When Maximian was unable to convince Diocletian to take up the purple again at a meeting in Carnuntum in late 308, he returned to his son-in-law's side in Gaul.

Although Maximian was treated with all of the respect due a former emperor, he still desired to be more than a figurehead. He decided to seize the purple from Constantine when his son-in-law least expected it. His opportunity came in the summer of 310 when the Franks revolted. When Constantine had taken a small part of his army into enemy territory, Maximian proclaimed himself again emperor and paid the soldiers under his command a donative to secure their loyalty. As soon as Constantine received news about Maximian's revolt in July 310, he went south and reached Arelate before his father-in-law could mount a defense of the city. Although Maximian fled to Massilia, his son-in-law seized the city and took Maximian prisoner. Although he was deprived of the purple, he was granted pardon for his crimes. Unable to endure the humiliation of his defeat, he attempted to have Constantine murdered in his bed. The plot failed because he tried to get his daughter Fausta's help in the matter; she chose to reveal the matter to her husband. Because of this attempt on his son-in-law's life Maximian was dead by the end of July either by his own hand or on the orders of his intended victim.

Eutropia was of Syrian extraction and her marriage to Maximian seems to have been her second. She bore him two children: Maxentius and Fausta. An older daughter, Theodora, may have been a product of her first marriage. Fausta became the wife of Constantine I , while her sister Theodora was the second spouse of his father Constantius I Chlorus . Eutropia apparently survived all her children, with the possible exception of her daughter Fausta who seems to have died in 326. Eutropia is also said to have become a Christian.

By Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.Cleisthenes

1329 - 1371, David II, AR Groat struck 1367 - 1371 at Edinburgh, ScotlandObverse: + DAVID ‡ DEI ‡ GRA ‡ REX ‡ SCOTORVM. Crowned bust of David II facing left, sceptre topped with a lis and with a star at its base before, within double tressure of six arches broken at the king's neck, small trefoils in spandrels, surrounded by beaded inner circle. Mintmark, cross pattée in legend and two small crosses in spaces between words. The whole within beaded outer circle.
Reverse: + DnS PTECTOR MS LIBATOR MS (God is my protector and redeemer) / VILLA EDINBURGh. Long cross pattée dividing two concentric legends separated by two beaded circles into quarters, pierced mullet in each quarter of inner circle. Mintmark, cross pattée in outer legend. The whole within beaded outer circle.
Diameter: 28mm | Weight: 3.55gms | Die Axis: 6h | Class D, third (light) coinage
SPINK: 5125

David Bruce, Robert the Bruce's only surviving son, was King of Scotland for nearly 42 years, from 1329 until his death in 1371. David was born in 1324 when Bruce was aged 50 and at the age of four he was married to Joan, the seven year old sister of Edward III of England at a time when Robert the Bruce was trying to forge better relations with England. However David was only five years old when, in 1329, his father died, he was crowned as King David II at Scone on 24 November 1331, holding a small sceptre that had been specially made for him.
Edward Balliol, son of John Balliol, supported by a number of nobles who had been disinherited by Robert the Bruce, soon started a rebellion. In August 1332 at the Battle of Dupplin Moor, near Perth, Balliol defeated David's Regent, the Earl of Mar, and in September Balliol was crowned at Scone. He was soon deposed by the supporters of David II but, in 1333, after the Scottish army led by Archibald, Lord of Douglas, attacked Balliol and lost at the Battle of Halidon Hill, Balliol was restored to power. But this Scottish game of thrones continued for several more years, Balliol was deposed again in 1334 only to be restored in 1335. The young King David was driven into exile in France, but returned from there in 1341, and finally deposed Edward Balliol for the last time.
In 1346, responding to an appeal for help from France, David II invaded England. But, at the Battle of Neville's Cross, he was captured and remained a prisoner at the English court until 1357 when he was returned to Scotland on the promise of payment of a large ransom.
David II ruled with authority and trade increased during his rule. He continued to pursue the goal of a final peace with England and, at the time of his death, the Scottish monarchy was stronger, and the kingdom and the royal finances more prosperous than might have seemed possible.
David II died unexpectedly, in Edinburgh Castle, on 22 February 1371. He was buried in Holyrood Abbey, pictured above. David II left no children and he was succeeded by his nephew, Robert II, the son of David's half-sister, Marjorie Bruce.
1 comments*Alex

1502c, Valens, 28 March 364 - 9 August 378 A.D. (Cyzikus)Bronze AE 3, S 4118, 2.42g, 16.5mm, 180o,Cyzikus, F/F, obverse D N VALENS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; reverse SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE, Victory advancing left, wreath in right, palm frond in left, SMK L(?) in exergue. Ex FORVM.

De Imperatoribus Romanis, An Online Encyclopedia of the Roman Emperors and their Families

Valens (365-369 AD.)

Noel Linski, University of Colorado

Valens was the brother of Valentinian I. On March 28, 364, precisely one month after his accession by Roman reckoning, Valentinian appointed his brother Flavius Valens co-emperor at the Hebdomon, the first in a long line of emperors proclaimed there. Themistius was present and later recounted the occasion in his Or. 6. After only two months of co-rulership, the two departed from Constantinople for their native Illyricum. Outside Naissus, in Moesia, they divided their administrative staff between them and at Sirmium they did the same with their mobile forces. Valens was to rule the east, from Thrace in the North and Cyrenaica in the South eastward to the Persian frontier. Valentinian ruled the west. They did not spend long in Sirmium. By late August 365 Valentinian had moved on toward Milan, where he resided for the following year before moving on to Trier, which remained his capital until 375. Similarly, Valens was back in Constantinople by December 364.and he was declared Augustus in 364 A.D. He was given command of the Eastern provinces, where he spent much of his time campaigning against the Goths and Persians.

In 376 A.D., Valens allowed Gothic tribes, who were being driven forward by the Huns to settle in the Danube provinces. The Goths were so badly treated by the Romans that they rebelled. Valens marched against the confederated barbarian army, and on August 9, 378, the two forces met at Adrianople. Although negotiations were attempted, these broke down when a Roman unit sallied forth and carried both sides into battle. The Romans held their own early on but were crushed by the surprise arrival of Greuthungi cavalry which split their ranks.

In one historical account, Valens was wounded in battle but escaped to a nearby farmstead where he was burned to death in a tower by Gothic marauders. The fourth century A.D. Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus does not seem to concur with this story. Regardless, when the battle was over Valens' body was never recovered, 10,000 roman soldiers lay dead and the perception of Roman military invincibility was destroyed.

Adrianople was the most significant event in Valens' career. Though he displayed some talent as an administrator, Valens' persecutions of Nicene Christians and pagan philosophers, his halting efforts at military achievement and his obtuse personality rendered him a less than glorious emperor. To have died in so inglorious a battle has thus come to be regarded as the nadir of an unfortunate career. This is especially true because of the profound consequences of Valens' defeat.

Adrianople spelled the beginning of the end for Roman territorial integrity in the late empire and this fact was recognized even by contemporaries. The Roman historian Ammianus (325-391 AD) understood that it was the worst defeat in Roman history since Cannae. Rufinus (340–410 CE), monk, historian, and theologian; called it "the beginning of evils for the Roman empire then and thereafter."

Noel Lenski, University of Colorado
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.Cleisthenes

1502h, Valens, 364-378 A.D. (Heraclea)Valens, 364-378 A.D., Heraclea mint, VF, Chi-Rho standard reverse.

De Imperatoribus Romanis, An Online Encyclopedia of the Roman Emperors and their Families

Valens (365-369 AD.)

Noel Linski, University of Colorado

Valens was the brother of Valentinian I. On March 28, 364, precisely one month after his accession by Roman reckoning, Valentinian appointed his brother Flavius Valens co-emperor at the Hebdomon, the first in a long line of emperors proclaimed there. Themistius was present and later recounted the occasion in his Or. 6. After only two months of co-rulership, the two departed from Constantinople for their native Illyricum. Outside Naissus, in Moesia, they divided their administrative staff between them and at Sirmium they did the same with their mobile forces. Valens was to rule the east, from Thrace in the North and Cyrenaica in the South eastward to the Persian frontier. Valentinian ruled the west. They did not spend long in Sirmium. By late August 365 Valentinian had moved on toward Milan, where he resided for the following year before moving on to Trier, which remained his capital until 375. Similarly, Valens was back in Constantinople by December 364.and he was declared Augustus in 364 A.D. He was given command of the Eastern provinces, where he spent much of his time campaigning against the Goths and Persians.

In 376 A.D., Valens allowed Gothic tribes, who were being driven forward by the Huns to settle in the Danube provinces. The Goths were so badly treated by the Romans that they rebelled. Valens marched against the confederated barbarian army, and on August 9, 378, the two forces met at Adrianople. Although negotiations were attempted, these broke down when a Roman unit sallied forth and carried both sides into battle. The Romans held their own early on but were crushed by the surprise arrival of Greuthungi cavalry which split their ranks.

In one historical account, Valens was wounded in battle but escaped to a nearby farmstead where he was burned to death in a tower by Gothic marauders. The fourth century A.D. Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus does not seem to concur with this story. Regardless, when the battle was over Valens' body was never recovered, 10,000 roman soldiers lay dead and the perception of Roman military invincibility had been destroyed.

Adrianople was the most significant event in Valens' career. Though he displayed some talent as an administrator, Valens' persecutions of Nicene Christians and pagan philosophers, his halting efforts at military achievement and his obtuse personality rendered him a less than glorious emperor. To have died in so inglorious a battle has thus come to be regarded as the nadir of an unfortunate career. This is especially true because of the profound consequences of Valens' defeat.

Adrianople spelled the beginning of the end for Roman territorial integrity in the late empire and this fact was recognized even by contemporaries. The Roman historian Ammianus (325-391 AD) understood that it was the worst defeat in Roman history since Cannae. Rufinus (340–410 CE), monk, historian, and theologian; called it "the beginning of evils for the Roman empire then and thereafter."

Noel Lenski, University of Colorado
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr. 1 commentsCleisthenes

1847 Victoria Gothic Silver Proof Crown UNDECIMOGreat Britain, Victoria (1837-1901), Gothic Silver Proof Crown, 1847, UNDECIMO edge, Bull 2571, ESC 288, L&S 57, Davies 471 (1+A), Davenport 106, SCWC KM 744, MCE 1158, SCBC 3883, EF, toned more deeply around legends, short scratch on neck, some other light marks and blemishes, raised edge lettering 𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖚𝖘 ✿ 𝖊𝖙 ✿ 𝖙𝖚𝖙𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖓 ♔ 𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖔 ✿ 𝖗𝖊𝖌𝖓𝖎 ✿ 𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖎𝖒𝖔 ♔ (An Ornament and a Safeguard in the Eleventh Year of Her Reign), weight 28.29g (ASW 0.8413oz), composition 0.925 Ag, 0.075 Cu, diameter 39.0mm, thickness 2.6mm, die axis 180°, London mint, 1847; obverse 𝖁𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖆 𝖉𝖊𝖎 𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖆-𝖇𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖆𝖗.𝖗𝖊𝖌:𝖋:𝖉. (Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith), Gothic crowned and draped bust left, hair waved and braided, looped under ear and in bun tucked in crown at back, dress embroidered with roses, shamrocks and thistles, tiny W.W. incuse on right shoulder truncation for engraver William Wyon, trefoil and arc border surrounding; reverse 𝖙𝖚𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖗-𝖚𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖆 𝖉𝖊𝖚𝖘 (May God Guard these United [Kingdoms]) above, 𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖔 𝖉𝖔𝖒-𝖒𝖉𝖈𝖈𝖈𝖝𝖑𝖛𝖎𝖎 (In the Year of Our Lord, 1847) below, crowned cruciform shields bearing three lions passant guardant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and nine-stringed harp for Ireland, buckled Garter Star at centre inscribed with tiny French motto HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), roses, thistle and shamrock in angles, tiny W-W incuse on raised circlet either side of top crown, engraved by William Dyce, trefoil and arc border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex Sovereign Rarities (26 May 2020); scarce; £3,500.00.Serendipity

1887 Victoria Jubilee Head Shield Silver Proof SixpenceGreat Britain, Victoria (1837-1901), Silver Proof Sixpence, 1887, Bull 3269, ESC 1753A, Davies 1151 (Dies 2+A), SCWC KM 759, Friedberg 392, MCE 1409, SCBC 3928, Withdrawn Type, FDC, much as struck with a most attractive tone, edge milled, weight 2.8276g (ASW 0.0841oz), composition 0.925 Ag, 0.075 Cu, diameter 19.3mm, thickness 1.0mm, die axis 0°, London mint, 1887; obverse VICTORIA DEI GRATIA-BRITT: REGINA F: D: (Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith), Jubilee tall, crowned, veiled and draped bust left, wearing double pearl drop earring with 13-pearl necklace, Ribbon and Star of the Garter at breast with badge of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, small J.E.B. raised below shoulder truncation for engraver Joseph Edgar Boehm, toothed border surrounding; reverse crowned quartered shield of Arms of the United Kingdom bearing three lions passant guardant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and eight-stringed harp for Ireland, within Order of the Garter inscribed with French motto HONI ✿ SOIT ✿ QUI-MAL ✿ Y ✿ PENSE ✿ ✿ ✿ (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), 18-87 in exergue either side of strap-end, engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen, toothed border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex Wessex Coins (17 Jan 2024); rare; £475.00.1 commentsSerendipity

1887 Victoria Jubilee Head Shield Silver SixpenceGreat Britain, Victoria (1837-1901), Silver Sixpence, 1887, Bull 3267 R3, ESC 1752B, Davies 1150 (Dies 1+A), SCWC KM 759, Friedberg 392, MCE 1409, SCBC 3928, Withdrawn Type, EF, perhaps once cleaned, now lightly toned, with light surface marks and nicks, edge milled, weight 2.8276g (ASW 0.0841oz), composition 0.925 Ag, 0.075 Cu, diameter 19.3mm, thickness 1.0mm, die axis 0°, London mint, 1887; obverse VICTORIA DEI GRATIA-BRITT: REGINA F: D: (Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith), Jubilee tall, crowned, veiled and draped bust left, wearing double pearl drop earring with 13-pearl necklace, Ribbon and Star of the Garter at breast with badge of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, small J.E.B. raised on shoulder truncation for engraver Joseph Edgar Boehm, toothed border surrounding; reverse crowned quartered shield of Arms of the United Kingdom bearing three lions passant guardant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and eight-stringed harp for Ireland, within Order of the Garter inscribed with French motto HONI ✿ SOIT ✿ QUI-MAL ✿ Y ✿ PENSE ✿ ✿ ✿ (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), 18-87 in exergue either side of strap-end, engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen, toothed border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex Sovereign Rarities (3 Jun 2023); extremely rare; £275.00.Serendipity

1887 Victoria Jubilee Head Shield Silver SixpenceGreat Britain, Victoria (1837-1901), Silver Sixpence, 1887, Bull 3264, ESC 1752, Davies 1151 (Dies 2+A), SCWC KM 759, Friedberg 392, MCE 1409, SCBC 3928, Withdrawn Type, aUNC, bright mint lustre, some light surface marks, edge milled, weight 2.8276g (ASW 0.0841oz), composition 0.925 Ag, 0.075 Cu, diameter 19.3mm, thickness 1.0mm, die axis 0°, London mint, 1887; obverse VICTORIA DEI GRATIA-BRITT: REGINA F: D: (Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith), Jubilee tall, crowned, veiled and draped bust left, wearing double pearl drop earring with 13-pearl necklace, Ribbon and Star of the Garter at breast with badge of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, small J.E.B. raised below shoulder truncation for engraver Joseph Edgar Boehm, toothed border surrounding; reverse crowned quartered shield of Arms of the United Kingdom bearing three lions passant guardant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and eight-stringed harp for Ireland, within Order of the Garter inscribed with French motto HONI ✿ SOIT ✿ QUI-MAL ✿ Y ✿ PENSE ✿ ✿ ✿ (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), 18-87 in exergue either side of strap-end, engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen, toothed border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex Saltford Coins (17 Jun 2023); £25.00.Serendipity

1887 Victoria Jubilee Head Shield Silver SixpenceGreat Britain, Victoria (1837-1901), Silver Sixpence, 1887, Bull 3265 R3, ESC 1752A, Davies 1152 (Dies 2+A), SCWC KM 759, Friedberg 392, MCE 1409, SCBC 3928, Withdrawn Type, R/I variety, UNC-gEF, bright mint lustre, some light surface marks, edge milled, weight 2.8276g (ASW 0.0841oz), composition 0.925 Ag, 0.075 Cu, diameter 19.3mm, thickness 1.0mm, die axis 0°, London mint, 1887; obverse VICTORIA DEI GRATIA-BRITT: REGINA F: D: (Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith), with R/I in VICTORIA, Jubilee tall, crowned, veiled and draped bust left, wearing double pearl drop earring with 13-pearl necklace, Ribbon and Star of the Garter at breast with badge of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, small J.E.B. raised below shoulder truncation for engraver Joseph Edgar Boehm, toothed border surrounding; reverse crowned quartered shield of Arms of the United Kingdom bearing three lions passant guardant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and eight-stringed harp for Ireland, within Order of the Garter inscribed with French motto HONI ✿ SOIT ✿ QUI-MAL ✿ Y ✿ PENSE ✿ ✿ ✿ (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), 18-87 in exergue either side of strap-end, engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen, toothed border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex Rare Coins & Tokens (5 Feb 2024); extremely rare; £60.00.Serendipity

1887 Victoria Jubilee Head Shield Silver SixpenceGreat Britain, Victoria (1837-1901), Silver Sixpence, 1887, Bull 3266 R3, ESC 1752C, Davies 1153 (Dies 2+A), SCWC KM 759, Friedberg 392, MCE 1409, SCBC 3928, Withdrawn Type, R/V variety, UNC, bright mint lustre, some light surface marks, edge milled, weight 2.8276g (ASW 0.0841oz), composition 0.925 Ag, 0.075 Cu, diameter 19.3mm, thickness 1.0mm, die axis 0°, London mint, 1887; obverse VICTORIA DEI GRATIA-BRITT: REGINA F: D: (Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith), with R/V in VICTORIA, Jubilee tall, crowned, veiled and draped bust left, wearing double pearl drop earring with 13-pearl necklace, Ribbon and Star of the Garter at breast with badge of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, small J.E.B. raised below shoulder truncation for engraver Joseph Edgar Boehm, toothed border surrounding; reverse crowned quartered shield of Arms of the United Kingdom bearing three lions passant guardant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and eight-stringed harp for Ireland, within Order of the Garter inscribed with French motto HONI ✿ SOIT ✿ QUI-MAL ✿ Y ✿ PENSE ✿ ✿ ✿ (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), 18-87 in exergue either side of strap-end, engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen, toothed border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex KB Coins (5 Feb 2024); extremely rare; £237.50.Serendipity

1bz Elagabalus_2218-222

Denarius

Laureate, horned & draped bust rightt, IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG
Elagabalus standing left, sacrificing from patera over lit tripod altar, holding branch, star in field left, SVMMVS SACERDOS AVG

RIC 146

The Historia Augusta, in the life of Caracalla, notes: Bassianus lived for forty-three years and ruled for six. . . . He left a son, who afterward received, like his father, the name Antoninus Marcus Antoninus Elagabalus; for such a hold had the name of the Antonines that it could not be removed from the thoughts of the people, because it had taken root in the hearts of all, even as had the name of Augustus.

In the life of Macrinus is recorded: Now there was a certain woman of the city of Emesa, called [Julia] Maesa or Varia; she was the sister of Julia, the wife of [Septimius] Severus Pertinax the African, and after the death of Antoninus Bassianus she had been expelled from her home in the palace through the arrogance of Macrinus. . . . This woman had two daughters, [Julia Soaemias] and [Julia] Mamaea, the elder of whom was the mother of Elagabalus; he assumed the names Bassianus and Antoninus, for the Phoenicians give the name Elagabalus to the Sun. Elagabalus, moreover, was notable for his beauty and stature and for the priesthood which he held, and he was well known to all who frequented the temple, and particularly to the soldiers. To these, Maesa, or Varia as she was also called, declared that this Bassianus was the son of Antoninus, and this was gradually made known to all the soldiers. Maesa herself, furthermore, was very rich (whence also Elagabalus was most wasteful of money), and through her promises to the soldiers the legions were persuaded to desert Macrinus. . . .

Finally, when he received the imperial power, he took the name Antoninus and was the last of the Antonines to rule the Roman Empire. . . . He was wholly under the control of his mother [Soaemias], so much so, in fact, that he did no public business without her consent, although she lived like a harlot and practised all manner of lewdness in the palace. For that matter, her amour with Antoninus Caracalla was so notorious that Varius, or rather Elagabalus, was commonly supposed to be his son. . . . In short, when Elagabalus' message was read in the senate, at once good wishes were uttered for Antoninus and curses on Macrinus and his son, and, in accordance with the general wish and the eager belief of all in his paternity, Antoninus was hailed as emperor. . . .

After he had spent the winter in Nicomedia, [218-219] living in a depraved manner and indulging in unnatural vice with men, the soldiers soon began to regret that they had conspired against Macrinus to make this man emperor, and they turned their thoughts toward his cousin Alexander, who on the murder of Macrinus had been hailed by the senate as Caesar. . . . Among the base actions of his life of depravity he gave orders that Alexander, whom he had formally adopted, be removed from his presence, saying that he regretted the adoption. Then he commanded the senate to take away from Alexander the name of Caesar. But when this was announced to the senate, there was a profound silence. For Alexander was an excellent youth, as was afterwards shown by the character of his rule, even though, because he was chaste, he was displeasing to his adoptive father he was also, as some declare, his cousin. Besides, he was loved by the soldiers and acceptable to the senate and the equestrian order. Yet the Emperor's madness went the length of an attempt to carry out the basest design; for he despatched assassins to kill Alexander. . . . The soldiers, however, and particularly the members of the guard, either because they knew what evils were in store for Elagabalus, or because they foresaw his hatred for themselves, formed a conspiracy to set the state free. First they attacked the accomplices in his plan of murdering Alexander. . . . Next they fell upon Elagabalus himself and slew him in a latrine in which he had taken refuge.Blindado

1cq Trajan Decius249-251

Sestertius

Laureate, cuirassed bust, right, MP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG
Dacia standing left holding draco standard, or staff surmounted by a donkey's head, DACIA SC

RIC 101b

The Byzantine historian Zosimus recorded in his New History: [Philip], thinking that he had by these means established himself in the possession of the empire, he made an expedition against the Carpi, who had plundered all the country about the Ister. . . . As there were at that time many disturbances in the empire, the eastern provinces, which were uneasy, partly, owing to the exactions of exorbitant tributes, and partly to their dislike of Priscus, their governor, who was a man of an intolerably evil disposition, wished for innovation, and set up Papianus for emperor, while the inhabitants of Moesia and Pannonia were more inclined to Marinus.

Philip, being disturbed by these events, desired the senate cither to assist him against such imminent dangers, or, if they were displeased with his government, to suffer him to lay it down and dismiss him quietly. No person making a reply to this, Decius, a person of illustrious birth and rank, and moreover gifted, with every virtue, observed, that he was unwise in being so much concerned at those events, for they would vanish of themselves, and could not possibly long subsist. And though the event corresponded with the conjecture of Decius, which long experience in the world had enabled him to make, Papianus and Marinus being taken off, yet Philip was still in fear, knowing how obnoxious the officers in that country were to the army. He therefore desired Decius to assume the command of the legions in Moesia and Pannonia. As he refused this under the plea that it was inconvenient both for Philip and himself, Philip made use of the rhetoric of necessity, as the Thessalians term it, and compelled him to go to Pannonia to punish the accomplices of Marinus. The army in that country, finding that Decius punished all that had offended, thought it most politic to avoid the present danger and to set up a sovereign who would better consult the good of the state, and who, being more expert both in civil and military affairs, might without difficulty conquer Philip.

For this purpose they clothed Decius in purple, and notwithstanding all his apprehensions of future mischances, compelled him to assume the supreme authority. Philip therefore, on hearing that Decius was thus made emperor, collected all his forces to overpower him. The supporters of Decius, though they knew that the enemy had greatly the advantage in numbers, still retained their confidence, trusting to the general skill and prudence of Decius in affairs. And when the two armies engaged, although the one was superior in number, yet the other so excelled it in discipline and conduct, that a great number of Philip's partisans were slain and he himself amongst them, together with his son, on whom he had conferred the title of Caesar. Decius thus acquired the empire.

The Scythians, taking advantage of the disorder which every where prevailed through the negligence of Philip, crossed the Tanais, and pillaged the countries in the vicinity of Thrace. But Decius, marching against them, was not only victorious in every battle, but recovered the spoils they had taken, and endeavoured to cut off their retreat to their own country, intending to destroy them all, to prevent their ever again, making a similar incursion. For this purpose he posted Gallus on the bank of the Tanais with a competent force, and led in person the remainder of his army against the enemy. This expedition exceeded to his utmost wish; but Gallus, who was disposed to innovation, sent agents to the Barbarians, requesting their concurrence in a conspiracy against Decius. To this they gave a willing assent, and Gallus retained his post on the bank of the Tanais, but the Barbarians divided themselves into three battalions, the first of which posted itself behind a marsh. Decius having destroyed a considerable number of the first battalion, the second advanced, which he likewise defeated, and discovered part of the third, which lay near the marsh. Gallus sent intelligence to him, that he might march against them across the fen. Proceeding therefore incautiously in an unknown place, he and his army became entangled in the mire, and under that disadvantage were so assailed by the missiles of the Barbarians, that not one of them escaped with life. Thus ended the life of the excellent emperor Decius.

Eutropius wrote: DECIUS, a native of Lower Pannonia, born at Budalia, assumed the government. . . . When he and his son had reigned two years, they were both killed in the country of the Barbarians, and enrolled among the gods. Blindado

1dp Carus282-283

AE antoninianus

Radiate draped bust, right, IMP C M AVR CARVS P F AVG
Emperor standing right, receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter standing left, G between, XXI in ex, CLEMENTIA TEMP

RIC 118

The Historia Augusta recorded: Let us, rather, pass on to Carus, a mediocre man, so to speak, but one to be ranked with the good rather than the evil princes, yet a better ruler by far, had he not left Carinus to be his heir. . . . In regard to Cams' birthplace there is such divergence of statement among the various writers that by reason of the very great difference among them I am unable to tell what it really was. . . . He, then, after rising through the various civil and military grades, as the inscriptions on his statues show, was made prefect of the guard by Probus, and he won such affection among the soldiers that when Probus, that great emperor, was slain, he alone seemed wholly worthy of the imperial power. I am not unaware that many have suspected and, in fact, have put it into the records that Probus was slain by the treachery of Carus. This, however, neither the kindness of Probus toward Carus nor Carus' own character will permit us to believe, and there is the further reason that he avenged the death of Probus with the utmost severity and steadfastness. . . .

[Zonaras adds: Another war against Galienus was incited by Macrinus, who, having two sons, Macrianus and Quintus, attempted a usurpation. Because he was lame in one leg, he did not don the imperial mantle, but clad his sons in it.]

And so. . . , as soon as he received the imperial power, by the unanimous wish of all the soldiers he took up the war against the Persians for which Probus had been preparing. He gave to his sons the name of Caesar, planning to despatch Carinus, with some carefully selected men, to govern the provinces of Gaul, and to take along with himself Numerian, a most excellent and eloquent young man. . . . [H]e conquered Mesopotamia and advanced as far as Ctesiphon; and while the Persians were busied with internal strife he won the name of Conqueror of Persia. But when he advanced still further, desirous himself of glory and urged on most of all by his prefect, who in his wish to rule was seeking the destruction of both Carus and his sons as well, he met his death, according to some, by disease, according to others, through a stroke of lightning.

Zonaras wrote: He was a Gaul by ancestry, but brave and accomplished in matters of warfare. The account of his death has been variously composed by those who have done historical research. Some say that, having campaigned against the Huns, he was killed there. Others say that he was encamped by the River Tigris and that there, in the place where his army had thrown up a palisade, his tent was struck by lightning, and they record that, along with it, he too was destroyed.Blindado

1dr Carinus283-285

AE antoninianus

Radiate draped & cuirassed bust, right, IMP C M AVR CARINVS AVG
Aequitas stg. Left, AEQVITAS AVGG

RIC 238

According to the Historia Augusta: He was the most polluted of men, an adulterer and a constant corrupter of youth. . . . He was left by his father as Caesar in Gaul and Italy and in Illyricum, Spain, Britain, and Africa, all of which had been voted to him, and he exercised there a Caesar's powers, but with the permission to perform all the duties of an Augustus. Then he defiled himself by unwonted vices and inordinate depravity. . . . He appeared in public as consul contrary to his father's wish. He wrote arrogant letters to the senate, and he even promised the senate's property to the mob of the city of Rome, as though it, forsooth, were the Roman people. By marrying and divorcing he took nine wives in all, and he put away some even while they were pregnant. He filled the Palace with actors and harlots, pantomimists, singers and pimps. He had such an aversion for the signing of state-papers that he appointed for signing them a certain filthy fellow, with whom he used always to jest at midday, and then he reviled him because he could imitate his writing so well. . . .

When he learned that his father had been killed by lightning and his brother slain by his own father-in-law, and that Diocletian had been hailed as Augustus, Carinus committed acts of still greater vice and crime, as though now set free and released by the death of his kindred from all the restraints of filial duty. He did not, however, lack strength of purpose for claiming the imperial power. For he fought many battles against Diocletian, but finally, being defeated in a fight near Margus, he perished.Blindado

1ek Magnentius350-353

Centenionalis

Bare-headed, draped & cuirassed bust, right, D N MAGNEN-TIVS P F AVG
Two victories, VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAES

RIC 173

Zosimus recorded: Magnentius thus gained the empire, and possessed himself all the nations beyond the Alps, and the whole of Italy. Vetranio, general of the Pannonian army, upon hearing of the good fortune of Magnentius, was himself inflamed with the same desire, and was declared emperor by the legions that were with him, at Mursa, a city of Pannonia. While affairs were thus situated, the Persians plundered the eastern countries, particularly Mesopotamia. But Constantine, though he was defeated by the Persians, yet resolved to subdue the factions of Magnentius and Vetranio. . . . Constantius advanced from the east against Magnentius, but deemed it best first to win over Vetranio to his interest, as it was difficult to oppose two rebels at once. On the other hand, Magnentius used great endeavours to make Vetranio his friend, and thus to put an end to the war against Constantius. Both therefore sent agents to Vetranio, who chose to adopt the friendship of Constantius rather than that of Magnentius. The ambassadors of Magnentius returned without effecting their purpose. Constantius desired that both armies might join, to undertake the war against Magnentius. To which proposal Vetranio readily assented. . . . When the soldiers heard this, having been previously corrupted by valuable presents, they cried out, that they would have no mock emperors, and immediately began to strip the purple from Vetranio, and pulled him from the throne with the determination to reduce him to a private station. . . . Constantius, having so well succeeded in his design against Vetranio, marched against Magnentius, having first conferred the title of Caesar on Gallus, the son of his uncle, and brother to Julian who was afterwards emperor, and given him in marriage his sister Constantia. . . .

Constantius now gaining the victory, by the army of Magnentius taking to flight, a terrible slaughter ensued. Magnentius, therefore being deprived ofall hope, and apprehensive lest the remnant of his army should deliver him to Constantius, deemed it best to retire from Pannonia, and to enter Italy, in order to raise an army there for another attempt. But when he heard that the people of Rome were in favour of Constantius, either from hatred to himself, or because they had heard of the event of the battle, he resolved to cross the Alps, and .seek for himself a refuge among the nations on that side. Hearing however that Constantius had likewise engaged the Barbarians near the Rhine against him, and that |65 he could not enter Gaul, as some officers had obstructed his passage thither in order to make their court to Constantius, nor through Spain into Mauritania, on account of the Roman allies there who studied to please Constantius. In these circumstances he preferred a voluntary death to a dishonourable life, and chose rather to die by his own hand than by that of his enemy.

Thus died Magnentius, having been emperor three years and six months. He was of Barbarian extraction, but lived among the Leti, a people of Gaul. He understood Latin, was bold when favoured by fortune, but cowardly in adversity, ingenious in concealing his natural evil disposition, and deemed by those who did not know him to be a man of candour and goodness. I have thought it just to make these observations concerning Magnentius, that the world may be acquainted With his true character, since it has been the opinion of some that he performed much good, who never in his life did any thing with a good intention.Blindado

1em Constantius GallusCaesar 351-354

Centenionalis

Bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right, A behind head, D N CONSTANTIVS IVN NOB C
Emperor, diademed and in military dress, standing facing, head left, holding standard with chi-rho banner in each hand. Star above. Left field: III. CONCORDIA MILITVM. Mintmark: star SIRM.

RIC 22

Zosimus noted: Constantius, having so well succeeded in his design against Vetranio, marched against Magnentius, having first conferred the title of Caesar on Gallus, the son of his uncle, and brother to Julian who was afterwards emperor, and given him in marriage his sister Constantia; either in order that he might oppose the Persians, or as seems more probable, that he might have an opportunity of taking him off. He and his brothers were the only remaining persons of the family whom Constantius had not put to death, as I have related. When he had clothed Gallus with the Caesarean robe, and appointed Lucilianus general in the Persian war, he marched towards Magnentius with his own troops and those of Vetranio in one body. Constantius II had him tried and put to death for misrule of the East as Caesar. . . . The state-informers, with which such men are usually surrounded, and which are designed for the ruin of those that are in prosperity, were augmented. These sycophants, when they attempted to effect the downfal of a noble in hopes of sharing his wealth or honours, contrived some false accusation against him. This was the practice in the time of Constantius. Spies of this description, who made the eunuchs of the court their accomplices, flocked about Constantius, and persuaded him that his cousin german Gallus, who was a Caesar, was not satisfied with that honour, but wished to be emperor. They so far convinced him of the truth of this charge, that they made him resolve upon the destruction of Gallus. The contrivers of this design were Dynamius and Picentius, men of obscure condition, who endeavoured to raise themselves by such evil practises. Lampadius also, the Prefect of the court, was in the conspiracy, being a person who wished to engross more of the emperor's favour than any other. Constantius listened to those false insinuations, and Gallus was sent for, knowing nothing of what was intended against him. As soon as he arrived, Constantius first degraded him from the dignity of Caesar, and, having reduced him to private station, delivered him to the public executioners to be put to death. Blindado

2017 Elizabeth II Gold Proof Sovereign NGC PF70 UCAMGreat Britain, Elizabeth II (1952-2022), Gold Proof Sovereign, 2017, 200th Anniversary of the Modern Sovereign commemorative, Marsh 347, SCBC SC11, one-year type, NGC PF-70 ULTRA CAMEO (6318716-008), edge milled, weight 7.9881g (AGW 0.2355oz), composition 0.917 Au, 0.083 Cu, diameter 22.05mm, thickness 1.52mm, die axis 0°, Royal mint, 2017; obverse ELIZABETH II · DEI · GRA · REG · FID · DEF · 2017 · (Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith, 2017), fifth crowned head right, J.C raised below truncation for engraver Jody Clark, toothed border surrounding; reverse HONI · SOIT · QUI · MAL · Y · PENSE · (Shame on him who thinks evil of it) French motto around horizontally ruled Order of the Garter circlet with buckle, St. George, nude but for crested Attic helmet with three-strand streamer, paludamentum fastened in front by fibula billowing behind and high-topped boots (calcei equestri), on horse rearing right, with long tail, ending in three strands, with one spur higher up at curve, holding bridle in left hand and broken lance in right, looking down, trampling and slaying prostrate dragon to lower right, with broken lance in its side, looking back and up at St. George, broken lance on ground-line to left, BP incuse under lance for engraver Benedetto Pistrucci, raised border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex UK Gold Coins (25 Feb 2022); £1,089.00.Serendipity

2022 Charles III Memorial Gold Proof Sovereign NGC PF70 UCAM FRGreat Britain, Charles III (2022-), Memorial Gold Proof Sovereign, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Sovereign commemorative, one-year type, NGC PF-70 ULTRA CAMEO FIRST RELEASES (2894754-004), edge milled, weight 7.9881g (AGW 0.2355oz), composition 0.917 Au, 0.083 Cu, diameter 22.05mm, thickness 1.52mm, die axis 0°, Royal mint, 2022; obverse CHARLES III · DEI · GRA · REX · FID · DEF · (Charles III, by the Grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith), bare head left, tiny MJ raised below truncation for engraver Martin Jennings, toothed border surrounding; reverse crowned helmet surmounted by crowned lion statant over quartered shield of Arms of the United Kingdom bearing three lions passant guardant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and six-stringed harp for Ireland, within Order of the Garter inscribed with French motto [HO]NI [SOIT] Q[UI] M[AL Y] P[ENSE] (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), supported by crowned lion to left and collared unicorn to right, shamrocks flanking buckle below over two Tudor double roses, thistle either side, DIEU ET-MON DROIT (God and My Right) inscribed on lower ribbon, 2022 in smaller ribbon in exergue, J.C (Jody Clark) monogram to lower right, ornate floriated background, toothed border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex UK Gold Coins (22 Feb 2023); £920.00.Serendipity

2022 Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Gold Proof Sovereign NGC PF70 UCAM FDIGreat Britain, Elizabeth II (1952-2022), Platinum Jubilee Gold Proof Sovereign, 2022, 70th Anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth II commemorative, one-year type, NGC PF-70 ULTRA CAMEO FIRST DAY OF ISSUE (6319075-025), edge milled, weight 7.9881g (AGW 0.2355oz), composition 0.917 Au, 0.083 Cu, diameter 22.05mm, thickness 1.52mm, die axis 0°, Royal mint, 2022; obverse ELIZABETH II · DEI · GRA · REGINA · FID · DEF · (Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith), fifth crowned head right, J.C raised below truncation for engraver Jody Clark, toothed border surrounding; reverse crowned helmet surmounted by crowned lion statant over quartered shield of Arms of the United Kingdom bearing three lions passant guardant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and eight-stringed harp for Ireland, within Order of the Garter inscribed with French motto HON[I SOIT QUI MAL] Y PENSE (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), supported by crowned lion to left and collared unicorn to right, both standing on banner inscribed DIEU ET-MON DROIT (God and My Right), 2022 in exergue, TN (Timothy Noad) monogram to lower inner right of Garter, toothed border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex Sovereign Rarities (4 Feb 2022); £990.00.Serendipity

204. ElagabalusElagabalus was and is one of the most controversial Roman emperors. During his reign he showed a disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos. Elagabalus' name is a Latinized form of the Semitic deity El-Gabal, a manifestation of the Semitic deity Ēl. He replaced Jupiter, head of the Roman pantheon, with a new god, Deus Sol Invictus, which in Latin means "the Sun, God Unconquered". Elagabalus forced leading members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating Sol invictus which he personally led.

He also took a Vestal Virgin as one of a succession of wives and openly boasted that his sexual interest in men was more than just a casual pastime, as it had been for previous emperors.

Elagabalus developed a reputation among his contemporaries for eccentricity, decadence, and zealotry which was likely exaggerated by his successors. This black propaganda was passed on and as such he was one of the most reviled Roman emperors to early Christian historians and later became a hero to the Decadent movement of the late 19th century.

Elagabalus Denarius. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, horned, laureate, and draped bust right / PM TR P IIII COS III P P, Elagabalus standing left sacrificing out of patera over lighted altar & holding branch, star left. RIC 46, RSC 196ecoli

706a, Nero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D.6, Nero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D. AE setertius, Date: 66 AD; RIC I 516, 36.71 mm; 25.5 grams; aVF. Obverse: IMP NERO CAESAR AVG PONT MAX TR POT PP, Laureate bust right; Reverse: S C, ROMA, Roma seated left, exceptional portrait and full obverse legends. Ex Ancient Imports.

NERO (54-68 A.D.)

It is difficult for the modern student of history to realize just how popular Nero actually was, at least at the beginning of his reign. Rome looked upon her new Emperor with hope. He was the student of Seneca, and he had a sensitive nature. He loved art, music, literature, and theatre. He was also devoted to horses and horse racing—a devotion shared by many of his subjects. The plebs loved their new Emperor. As Professor of Classics Judith P. Hallett (University of Maryland, College Park) says, “It is not clear to me that Nero ever changed or that Nero ever grew-up, and that was both his strength and his weakness. Nero was an extraordinarily popular Emperor: he was like Elvis” (The Roman Empire in the First Century, III. Dir. Margaret Koval and Lyn Goldfarb. 2001. DVD. PBS/Warner Bros. 2003).

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Herbert W. Benario
Emory University

Introduction and Sources
The five Julio-Claudian emperors are very different one from the other. Augustus dominates in prestige and achievement from the enormous impact he had upon the Roman state and his long service to Rome, during which he attained unrivaled auctoritas. Tiberius was clearly the only possible successor when Augustus died in AD 14, but, upon his death twenty-three years later, the next three were a peculiar mix of viciousness, arrogance, and inexperience. Gaius, better known as Caligula, is generally styled a monster, whose brief tenure did Rome no service. His successor Claudius, his uncle, was a capable man who served Rome well, but was condemned for being subject to his wives and freedmen. The last of the dynasty, Nero, reigned more than three times as long as Gaius, and the damage for which he was responsible to the state was correspondingly greater. An emperor who is well described by statements such as these, "But above all he was carried away by a craze for popularity and he was jealous of all who in any way stirred the feeling of the mob." and "What an artist the world is losing!" and who is above all remembered for crimes against his mother and the Christians was indeed a sad falling-off from the levels of Augustus and Tiberius. Few will argue that Nero does not rank as one of the worst emperors of all.

The prime sources for Nero's life and reign are Tacitus' Annales 12-16, Suetonius' Life of Nero, and Dio Cassius' Roman History 61-63, written in the early third century. Additional valuable material comes from inscriptions, coinage, papyri, and archaeology.

Early Life
He was born on December 15, 37, at Antium, the son of Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbusand Agrippina. Domitius was a member of an ancient noble family, consul in 32; Agrippina was the daughter of the popular Germanicus, who had died in 19, and Agrippina, daughter of Agrippa, Augustus' closest associate, and Julia, the emperor's daughter, and thus in direct descent from the first princeps. When the child was born, his uncle Gaius had only recently become emperor. The relationship between mother and uncle was difficult, and Agrippina suffered occasional humiliation. But the family survived the short reign of the "crazy" emperor, and when he was assassinated, it chanced that Agrippina's uncle, Claudius, was the chosen of the praetorian guard, although there may have been a conspiracy to accomplish this.

Ahenobarbus had died in 40, so the son was now the responsibility of Agrippina alone. She lived as a private citizen for much of the decade, until the death of Messalina, the emperor's wife, in 48 made competition among several likely candidates to become the new empress inevitable. Although Roman law forbade marriage between uncle and niece, an eloquent speech in the senate by Lucius Vitellius, Claudius' closest advisor in the senatorial order, persuaded his audience that the public good required their union. The marriage took place in 49, and soon thereafter the philosopher Seneca [[PIR2 A617]] was recalled from exile to become the young Domitius' tutor, a relationship which endured for some dozen years.

His advance was thereafter rapid. He was adopted by Claudius the following year and took the name Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar or Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus, was preferred to Claudius' natural son, Britannicus, who was about three years younger, was betrothed to the emperor's daughter Octavia, and was, in the eyes of the people, the clear successor to the emperor. In 54, Claudius died, having eaten some poisoned mushrooms, responsibility for which was believed to be Agrippina's, and the young Nero, not yet seventeen years old, was hailed on October 13 as emperor by the praetorian guard.

The First Years of Rule
The first five years of Nero's rule are customarily called the quinquennium, a period of good government under the influence, not always coinciding, of three people, his mother, Seneca, and Sextus Afranius Burrus, the praetorian prefect. The latter two were allies in their "education" of the emperor. Seneca continued his philosophical and rhetorical training, Burrus was more involved in advising on the actualities of government. They often combined their influence against Agrippina, who, having made her son emperor, never let him forget the debt he owed his mother, until finally, and fatally, he moved against her.

Nero's betrothal to Octavia was a significant step in his ultimate accession to the throne, as it were, but she was too quiet, too shy, too modest for his taste. He was early attracted to Poppaea Sabina, the wife of Otho, and she continually goaded him to break from Octavia and to show himself an adult by opposing his mother. In his private life, Nero honed the musical and artistic tastes which were his chief interest, but, at this stage, they were kept private, at the instigation of Seneca and Burrus.

As the year 59 began, Nero had just celebrated his twenty-first birthday and now felt the need to employ the powers which he possessed as emperor as he wished, without the limits imposed by others. Poppaea's urgings had their effect, first of all, at the very onset of the year, with Nero's murder of his mother in the Bay of Naples.

Agrippina had tried desperately to retain her influence with her son, going so far as to have intercourse with him. But the break between them proved irrevocable, and Nero undertook various devices to eliminate his mother without the appearance of guilt on his part. The choice was a splendid vessel which would collapse while she was on board. As this happened, she swam ashore and, when her attendant, having cried out that she was Agrippina, was clubbed to death, Agrippina knew what was going on. She sent Nero a message that she was well; his response was to send a detachment of sailors to finish the job. When she was struck across the head, she bared her womb and said, "Strike here, Anicetus, strike here, for this bore Nero," and she was brutally murdered.

Nero was petrified with fear when he learned that the deed had been done, yet his popularity with the plebs of Rome was not impaired. This matricide, however, proved a turning point in his life and principate. It appeared that all shackles were now removed. The influence of Seneca and Burrus began to wane, and when Burrus died in 62, Seneca realized that his powers of persuasion were at an end and soon went into retirement. Britannicus had died as early as 55; now Octavia was to follow, and Nero became free to marry Poppaea. It may be that it had been Burrus rather than Agrippina who had continually urged that Nero's position depended in large part upon his marriage to Octavia. Burrus' successor as commander of the praetorian guard, although now with a colleague, was Ofonius Tigellinus, quite the opposite of Burrus in character and outlook. Tigellinus became Nero's "evil twin," urging and assisting in the performance of crimes and the satisfaction of lusts.

Administrative and Foreign Policy
With Seneca and Burrus in charge of administration at home, the first half-dozen years of Nero's principate ran smoothly. He himself devoted his attention to his artistic, literary, and physical bents, with music, poetry, and chariot racing to the fore. But his advisors were able to keep these performances and displays private, with small, select audiences on hand. Yet there was a gradual trend toward public performance, with the establishment of games. Further, he spent many nights roaming the city in disguise, with numerous companions, who terrorized the streets and attacked individuals. Those who dared to defend themselves often faced death afterward, because they had shown disrespect for the emperor. The die was being cast for the last phases of Nero's reign.

The Great Fire at Rome and The Punishment
of the Christians
The year 64 was the most significant of Nero's principate up to this point. His mother and wife were dead, as was Burrus, and Seneca, unable to maintain his influence over Nero without his colleague's support, had withdrawn into private life. The abysmal Tigellinus was now the foremost advisor of the still young emperor, a man whose origin was from the lowest levels of society and who can accurately be described as criminal in outlook and action. Yet Nero must have considered that he was happier than he had ever been in his life. Those who had constrained his enjoyment of his (seemingly) limitless power were gone, he was married to Poppaea, a woman with all advantages save for a bad character the empire was essentially at peace, and the people of Rome enjoyed a full measure of panem et circenses. But then occurred one of the greatest disasters that the city of Rome, in its long history, had ever endured.

The fire began in the southeastern angle of the Circus Maximus, spreading through the shops which clustered there, and raged for the better part of a week. There was brief success in controlling the blaze, but then it burst forth once more, so that many people claimed that the fires were deliberately set. After about a fortnight, the fire burned itself out, having consumed ten of the fourteen Augustan regions into which the city had been divided.

Nero was in Antium through much of the disaster, but his efforts at relief were substantial. Yet many believed that he had been responsible, so that he could perform his own work comparing the current fate of Rome to the downfall of Troy. All his efforts to assist the stricken city could not remove the suspicion that "the emperor had fiddled while Rome burned." He lost favor even among the plebs who had been enthusiastic supporters, particularly when his plans for the rebuilding of the city revealed that a very large part of the center was to become his new home.

As his popularity waned, Nero and Tigellinus realized that individuals were needed who could be charged with the disaster. It so happened that there was such a group ready at hand, Christians, who had made themselves unpopular because of their refusal to worship the emperor, their way of life, and their secret meetings. Further, at this time two of their most significant "teachers" were in Rome, Peter and Paul. They were ideal scapegoats, individuals whom most Romans loathed, and who had continually sung of the forthcoming end of the world.

Their destruction was planned with the utmost precision and cruelty, for the entertainment of the populace. The venue was Nero's circus near the Mons Vaticanus. Christians were exposed to wild animals and were set ablaze, smeared with pitch, to illuminate the night. The executions were so grisly that even the populace displayed sympathy for the victims. Separately, Peter was crucified upside down on the Vatican hill and Paul was beheaded along the Via Ostiensis. But Nero's attempt, and hope, to shift all suspicion of arson to others failed. His popularity even among the lower classes was irrevocably impaired.

[For a detailed and interesting discussion of Nero’s reign please see http://www.roman-emperors.org/nero.htm]

The End - Nero's Death and its Aftermath
Nero's and Tigellinus' response to the conspiracy was immediate and long-lasting. The senatorial order was decimated, as one leading member after another was put to death or compelled to commit suicide. The year 66 saw the suicides of perhaps the most distinguished victims of the "reign of terror," Caius Petronius and Thrasea Paetus. Petronius, long a favorite of Nero because of his aesthetic taste, had been an able public servant before he turned to a life of ease and indolence. He was recognized as the arbiter elegantiae of Nero's circle, and may be the author of the Satyricon. At his death, he left for Nero a document which itemized many of the latter's crimes. Thrasea, a staunch Stoic who had been for some years an outspoken opponent of Nero's policies, committed suicide in the Socratic manner. This scene is the last episode in the surviving books of Tacitus' Annals.

In the year 68, revolt began in the provinces. . . the end of Nero's reign became inevitable. Galba claimed the throne and began his march from Spain. Nero panicked and was rapidly abandoned by his supporters. He finally committed suicide with assistance, on June 9, 68, and his body was tended and buried by three women who had been close to him in his younger days, chief of whom was Acte. His death scene is marked above all by the statement, "Qualis artifex pereo," (What an artist dies in me.) Even at the end he was more concerned with his private life than with the affairs of state.

The aftermath of Nero's death was cataclysmic. Galba was the first of four emperors who revealed the new secret of empire, that an emperor could be made elsewhere than in Rome. Civil war ensued, which was only ended by the victory of the fourth claimant, Vespasian, who established the brief dynasty of the Flavians. The dynasty of the Julio-Claudians was at an end.

Nero's popularity among the lower classes remained even after his death.

. . . .

It is not excessive to say that he was one of the worst of Rome's emperors in the first two centuries and more of the empire. Whatever talents he had, whatever good he may have done, all is overwhelmed by three events, the murder of his mother, the fire at Rome, and his savage treatment of the Christians.

Precisely these qualities are the reasons that he has remained so well known and has been the subject of many writers and opera composers in modern times. These works of fiction particularly merit mention: Henryk Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis, one of the finest works of the 1907 Nobel Laureate in Literature, and John Hersey's The Conspiracy. Nero unquestionably will always be with us.

Copyright (C) 2006, Herbert W. Benario.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.

1 commentsCleisthenes

Achaia, Isabella de Villehardoiun. Denier Tournois.Crusaders. Achaia, Isabella de Villehardouin. 1297-1301 AD. BI Denier Tournois (0.73 gm, 20.6mm, 3h) of Corinth. Short cross pattée. ✠▴YSᴧ̅BЄLLᴧ̅•P ᴧ̅Chˀ ⁎ (Isabella, Princess of Achaea). / Châtel Tournois (basilica in the style of Tours), its spire in the form of Ʌ, ✠ above and ⋯ below. ✠⁎DЄ CLᴧ̅RЄNCIᴧ̅. VF. Obv. ghosting from Châtel in central fields. Pegasi Numismatics Auction 34 #899. Malloy Preston Seltman CCS (Achaea) 15a; Metcalf Pylia Hoard (ANSMN 17) p.183, Crusades (1983 ed.) #741 (1995 ed.) #970-973. cf. Schlumberger pl.12 #19.Anaximander

Achaia, William II de Villehardoiun. Denier Tournois.Crusaders. Achaia, William II de Villehardouin. 1245-1278 AD. BI Denier Tournois (0.92 gm, 19.1mm, 5h) of Corinth (?) Short cross pattée. ✠ :G: PRINCE ΛCh' (Guillaume, Prince of Achaia). / Châtel Tournois (Carolingian basilica of the Abbey of St Martin of Tours.), its spire in the form of Ʌ, ✠ above and ⋯ below. v CLΛRENTIΛ D. gVF. Pegasi Numismatics A34 #898. Malloy Preston Seltman CCS (Achaea) 10a; Metcalf Pylia (ANSMN 17) pl. 39 #5, cf. Crusades (1995) # 255ff, (1983) pl.31 #718; Schlumberger pl. 12 #12.Anaximander

Acinipo, grapes and wheatAs. ACINIPO
Obverse: L. FOLCE AEDILE, around bunch of grapes, star top left.
Reverse: ACINIPO, two pins on right & border points.
24.54mm., 7.7 g.
VILL-393.12. I-59. V 105.1. MBC Very scarce
Acinipo was a city created for retired soldiers from the
Roman legions about 20 kilometers from Ronda,
near Seville, southern Spain. The Acinipo ruins
include a Roman theater still in use today. c 45 BCENORMAN K

Antoninus Pius, RIC 579, Sestertius of AD 139 (Aurum Coronarium: Asia)Æ Sestertius (25.43g, Ø 31mm, 5h). Rome mint. Struck AD 139.
Obv.: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, laureate head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Rev.: COS II (around) S C (across field), ASIA (ex.) Asia, towered headdress, standing left, holding crown and anchor, prow at feet.
RIC 579 (R2); Cohen 64 (fr.40); BMCRE IV 1184; Strack 779 (listed in 5 collections); Banti 41 (2 spec.); RCV 4150
ex Flavius (Lakeville, MN, 2008)

Part of a series celebrating Antoninus' remission of half of the special tax (aurum coronarium) normally levied on the provinces at the time of the accession of an emperor.Charles S

Ardennes - Principauté d'Arches et Charleville - Charles Ier de Gonzague (1601-1637)Liard, cuivre, 4,26 g, 26 mm
Av./ CAR GONZ D NIV ET RFTH, 1611, buste à droite.
Rv./ SVP PRINCEPS ARCHENSIS, Écu de Gonzague couronné .
Réfs : PA-6148Gabalor

Ardennes, Principauté d'Arches-Charleville, Charles II de Gonzagues (1637-1659)Denier tournois, cuivre, 1,41 g
Av./ CHARLES II D DE MAN, tête à droite.
Rv./ + DENIER TOVRNOIS 1653, A sous deux lis
Réfs : CGKL 638,2a1Gabalor

AS OF IRIPPO. Hispania, Irippo (area of Seville), 25 mm, 5.07 g. Semis. ca.30 BC. IRIPPO,
inscription before bare head of Augustus (Octavian) right / female seated left holding pine cone and cornucopiae.
RPC 55; Burgos 1238; Mionnet 402. _2050Antonivs Protti

AS OF IRIPPO. Hispania, Irippo (area of Seville), CA.30 BC. IRIPPO INSCRIPTION BEFORE BARE HEAD OF AUGUSTUS (OCTAVIAN) RIGHT / FEMALE SEATED LEFT HOLDING PINE CONE AND CORNUCOPIAE.
RPC 55; BURGOS 1238; MIONNET 402.Antonivs Protti

Augustus and Livia , Colonial Romula (Seville), Minted by TiberusAugustus and Livia, minted by Tiberius, 14 Aug 19 - 16 Mar 37 A.D.
This coin associates Livia with globe and crescent symbols and refers to her as Augusta Genetrix Orbis, Sacred Mother of the World. This extraordinary title was never official and is not used on any other coin type for any empress.
5474. Orichalcum dupondius, RPC I 73, Alverez Burgos 1587, aF, Colonia Romula mint, 25.1g, 33.4mm, 180°, obverse PERM DIVI AVG COL ROM, Augustus radiate head right, star above, thunderbolt right; reverse IVLIA AVGVSTA GENETRIX ORBIS, Livia head left on globe, crescent above;
sold 4-2018NORMAN K

BCC LS32 Lead Seal EagleLead Seal
Caesarea Maritima
Mid 6th - Early 7th Century CE
Obv: Eagle standing facing, head right,
wings spread, within wreath.
Rev: Block monogram with Greek
letters: I, A, O, Y, K, Akakios, a personal
name meaning "innocent, not evil", from
a', negative, and kako', evil.
20 x 16 x 2.25mm. 4.42gm. Axis:0
cf. Dumbarton Oaks online BZS.1947.2.813
Surface find Caesarea Maritima, 1970's
J. Berlin Caesarea Collectionv-drome

Blanca (Reyes Católicos)1506 - 1566 AD

Obverse: FERNANDVS ET ELISABET
Crowned monogram of Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Reverse: REX ET REGINA CAST LEGION
Crowned monogram of Isabella I of Castile.

Mintmark: S (Sevilla)
Pericles J2

Bramsen 0107. Paix de Luneville, 1801.Obv. Bust of Bonaparte. On the base of the bust, the artist's name, ANDRIEU F.
Legend - BONAPARTE PREMIER CONSUL DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE FRANSE.
Rev. an elegant female figure emblematic of peace, she holds in her right hand, which is extended, an olive branch, in her left a cornucopia filled with fruit and wheat ears, her hair and costume is à la grecque, with a laurel wreath round the head.
Legend, PAIX DE LUNÉVILLE. On the ground whereon she stands, ANDRIEU F.
Exergue, LE XX. PLUVIOSE, AN IX.
42mm

Struck to commemorate the LordBest

Carmo (Seville) Hispania Ulterior Early 1st Century BC Bronze As Bronze as, Villaronga 24, SNG BM Spain 1588 ff., Burgos 459, F, 16.2g, 25mm,
Carmo (Seville) mint, male head right; reverse CARMO, legend between two heads of grain ; scarce!!!
Hispania is the Latin term given to the Iberian peninsula. Hispania Ulterior (Further Hispania) was a region of Hispania during the Roman Republic, roughly located in Baetica and in the Guadalquivir valley of modern Spain and extending to all of Lusitania (modern Portugal, Extremadura and a small part of Salamanca province) and Gallaecia (modern Northern Portugal and Galicia). Its capital was Corduba.Antonivs Protti

Carmo as (1)Observe: Helmeted head to the right within a wreath.
Reverse: CARMO within central tablet between two grain ears to the rigth.
Weight: 24,6 gr. Size: 33 mm.
FAB. 344
Dated: 150-100 B.C.

Carmo is todays Carmona a town near Seville.Corduba

Castile & León: Enrique IV el Impotente (1454-1474) BI Dinero, Sevilla (ME 1718; Burgos 784)Obv: Three-towered castle; S below; all within lozenge
Rev: Crowned lion rampant left; all within lozenge
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