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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Gods, Non-Olympian| ▸ |Genius||View Options:  |  |  | 

Genius - The Guardian Spirt

In Roman religion, every man has a genius, a presiding spirit. In De Die Natali, Censorinus says, from the moment we are born, we live under the guard and tutelage of Genius. Cities, organizations, and peoples also had a genius. On coins, we find inscriptions to the Genius of the Army, of the Senate, of the Emperor, etc. The legend GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, for example, dedicates the coin to the Genius of the Roman People. Genius' image is of a man with a cloak half covering the shoulders leaving the rest of his body naked, holding a cornucopia in one hand, and a simpulum or a patera in the other. In Roman Bronze Coins From Paganism to Christianity 294-364 A.D., Victor Failmezger writes, "This reverse is modeled after the famous statue of the Spirit of the Roman People in the Roman Forum. It is unclear when this statue was last seen as it is now lost. Although the coins celebrate a wide range of spirits (e.g., Rome, Augustus, the Army, etc.), the basic design comes from the same statue...The act of pouring the libation to the emperor illustrates what the Christians were required to do in order not to be persecuted."

Galerius, 1 March 305 - 5 May 311 A.D.

|Galerius|, |Galerius,| |1| |March| |305| |-| |5| |May| |311| |A.D.||follis|
In Roman religion, every man has a genius, a presiding spirit. In De Die Natali, Censorinus says, from the moment we are born, we live under the guard and tutelage of Genius. Cities, organizations, and peoples also had a genius. On coins, we find inscriptions to the Genius of the Army, of the Senate, of the Emperor, etc. The legend GENIO POPVLI ROMANI dedicates this coin to the Genius of the Roman People. Genius' image is of a man with a cloak half covering the shoulders leaving the rest of his body naked, holding a cornucopia in one hand, and a simpulum or a patera in the other.
RT112738. Billon follis, RIC VI Serdica p. 499, 35; SRCV IV 14506, Cohen VII 40, Hunter V p. 62, 8 var. (3rd officina), Choice VF, well centered, green patina, light porosity, weight 5.735 g, maximum diameter 26.5 mm, die axis 180o, 2nd officina, Serdica (Sofia, Bulgaria) mint, late 307 - 308 A.D.; obverse GAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right; reverse GENIO AVGVSTI (to the guardian spirit of the Emperor), Genius standing half left, kalathos on head, nude but for chlamys over left shoulder, pouring offering from patera in right hand, cornucopia in left hand, star lower left, B right, •SM•SD• in exergue; $110.00 (€103.40)
 


Maximinus II Daia, May 310 - 30 April 313 A.D.

|Maximinus| |II|, |Maximinus| |II| |Daia,| |May| |310| |-| |30| |April| |313| |A.D.||follis|
In Roman religion, every man has a genius, a presiding spirit. In De Die Natali, Censorinus says, from the moment we are born, we live under the guard and tutelage of Genius. Cities, organizations, and peoples also had a genius. On coins, we find inscriptions to the Genius of the Army, of the Senate, of the Roman People, etc. The legend GENIO IMPERATORIS dedicates this coin to the Genius of the Imperators. Genius' image is of a man with a cloak half covering the shoulders leaving the rest of his body naked, holding a cornucopia in one hand, and a simpulum or a patera in the other.
RT113201. Billon follis, Hunter V p. 102, 60 (also 6th officina); RIC VI Antiochia p. 636, 133c; Cohen VII p. 147, 55; SRCV IV 14851, Choice gVF, well centered, attractive Syrian desert patina, weight 6.546 g, maximum diameter 23.7 mm, die axis 0o, 6th officina, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, 310 A.D.; obverse IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head right; reverse GENIO IMPERATORIS (to the guardian spirit of the Emperor as Commander in Chief), Genius standing slightly left, head left, nude but for chlamys over shoulders and left arm, kalathos on head, pouring libations from patera in right hand, cornucopia in left hand, altar at feet on left, star upper left, S right, ANT in exergue; from the Michael Arslan Collection, ex Sol Numismatik auction XVI (5 Aug 2023), lot 478; $110.00 (€103.40)
 


Galerius, 1 March 305 - 5 May 311 A.D.

|Galerius|, |Galerius,| |1| |March| |305| |-| |5| |May| |311| |A.D.||follis| |(large)|
In Roman religion, every man has a genius, a presiding spirit. In De Die Natali, Censorinus says, from the moment we are born, we live under the guard and tutelage of Genius. Cities, organizations, and peoples also had a genius. On coins, we find inscriptions to the Genius of the Army, of the Senate, of the Emperor, etc. The legend GENIO POPVLI ROMANI dedicates this coin to the Genius of the Roman People. Genius' image is of a man with a cloak half covering the shoulders leaving the rest of his body naked, holding a cornucopia in one hand, and a simpulum or a patera in the other.
RB112729. Billon follis (large), RIC VI Heraclea 24b, SRCV IV 14542, Cohen VII 81, Hunter V 15 var. (5th officina), Choice VF, well centered, green patina, traces of silvering, porosity, edge crack/split, weight 8.367 g, maximum diameter 27.6 mm, die axis 180o, Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) mint, 1 May 305 - 25 Jul 306 A.D.; obverse IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, head laureate right; reverse GENIO POPVLI ROMANI (to the guardian spirit of the Roman People), Genius standing slightly left, head left, nude but for chlamys over shoulders and left arm, kalathos on head, pouring libations from patera in right hand, cornucopia in left hand, HTΔ in exergue; $80.00 (€75.20)
 


Maximinus II Daia, May 310 - 30 April 313 A.D.

|Maximinus| |II|, |Maximinus| |II| |Daia,| |May| |310| |-| |30| |April| |313| |A.D.||follis|NEW
"This reverse is modeled after the famous statue of the Spirit of the Roman People in the Roman Forum. It is unclear when this statue was last seen as it is now lost. Although the coins celebrate a wide range of spirits (e.g., Rome, Augustus, the Army, etc.), the basic design comes from the same statue." -- Roman Bronze Coins From Paganism to Christianity 294-364 A.D. by Victor Failmezger
RT113902. Billon follis, RIC VI Alexandria p. 682, 135b; SRCV IV 14823; Cohen VII 2; Hunter V -, gVF, well centered, green patina, marks, rough areas of mild corrosion, weight 6.658 g, maximum diameter 26.2 mm, die axis 180o, 3rd officina, Alexandria mint, c. 311 - 312 A.D.; obverse IMP C GALER VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head right; reverse BONO GENIO PII IMPERATORIS (to the good guardian spirit of the pious Emperor), Genius standing slightly left, head left, kalathos on head, nude but for chlamys over shoulders and left arm, patera in right hand, cornucopia in left hand, crescent horns up upper left, Γ (3rd officina) upper right, K - P flanking across lower fields, ALE in exergue; ex Rönesans Salzgitter auction 2 (30 Jun 2023), lot 450; $80.00 (€75.20)
 


Galerius, 1 March 305 - 5 May 311 A.D.

|Galerius|, |Galerius,| |1| |March| |305| |-| |5| |May| |311| |A.D.||follis| |(large)|
The meaning of the CMH ligature, used at Nicomedia and Cyzicus, is uncertain but it may be a mark of value indicating 48 coins per pound of bronze. This type and mintmark spanned two issues at Nicomedia. The first issue, RIC VI Nicomedia 54a, was struck c. December 308 - May 310, only by the 1st and 4th officinae, and weighed 6.0-7.5 grams. The second issue, RIC VI Nicomedia 66a, was struck c. May 310 - May 311, by the 1st through 6th officinae, and weighed 5.0-7.5 grams, initially with wider thinner flans but getting progressively smaller and thicker.
RT90839. Billon follis (large), Hunter V 25 (also the 4th officina, RIC 54a), RIC VI Nicomedia 54a or 66a (this type spanned both issues), SRCV IV 14508, Cohen VII 42, VF, dark near black tone, turquoise encrustations, reverse center weak, weight 6.004 g, maximum diameter 26.5 mm, die axis 0o, 4th officina, Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) mint, Dec 308 - May 311 A.D.; obverse IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right; reverse GENIO AVGVSTI CMH (CMH ligate), Genius standing slightly left, head left, nude but for chlamys over shoulders and left arm, kalathos on head, pouring libations from patera in right hand, cornucopia in left hand, SMNΔ in exergue; $32.00 (€30.08)
 


Galerius, 1 March 305 - 5 May 311 A.D.

|Galerius|, |Galerius,| |1| |March| |305| |-| |5| |May| |311| |A.D.||follis| |(large)|
The officina number is expressed as ΔE (4 + 5 = 9) because Θ, theta, the Greek numeral nine, was considered unlucky. Theta (Θ), was used as an abbreviation for Thanatos (death) and used as a warning symbol of death, in the same way that skull and crossbones are used in modern times. It survives on potsherds used by Athenians voting for the death penalty. Also, after a funeral "Nine Days of Sorrow" were solemnly observed by the Roman family. Romans avoided the use of theta, as we avoid the use of the number 13 today.
RT90838. Billon follis (large), RIC VI Antiochia 82 (S), SRCV IV 14519, Cohen VII 48, Hunter V 42 var. (4th officina), VF/F, well centered, reverse encrusted, weight 6.554 g, maximum diameter 24.7 mm, die axis 180o, 9th officina, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, early - mid 308 A.D.; obverse IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right; reverse GENIO IMPERATORIS (to the guardian spirit of the Emperor as Commander in Chief), Genius standing slightly left, head left, nude but for chlamys over shoulders and left arm, kalathos on head, pouring libations from patera in right hand, cornucopia in left hand, Δ - E across fields, ANT in exergue; scarce; $28.00 (€26.32)
 


Clodius Albinus, Late 195 or Early 196 - 19 February 197 A.D.

|Clodius| |Albinus|, |Clodius| |Albinus,| |Late| |195| |or| |Early| |196| |-| |19| |February| |197| |A.D.||denarius|
According to the Historia Augusta, Commodus sent a letter to Clodius Albinus offering him the title caesar but Albinus refused:
"The Emperor Commodus to Clodius Albinus greeting. I wrote you once officially about the succession to the throne and your own elevation to honour, but I am now sending you this private and confidential message, all written with my own hand, as you will see, in which I empower you, should emergency arise, to present yourself to the soldiers and assume the name of Caesar. For I hear that both Septimius Severus and Nonius Murcus are speaking ill of me to their troops, hoping thereby to get the appointment to the post of Augustus. You shall have full power besides, when you thus present yourself, to give the soldiers a largess of three aurei apiece. You will get a letter which I am sending to my procurators to this effect, sealed with my signet of an Amazon, which you will deliver to my stewards when the need arises, that they may not refuse your demands on the treasury. And that you may received some definite symbol of an emperor's majesty, I authorize you to wear both at the present time and at my court the scarlet cloak. Later, when you are with me, you shall have the imperial purple, though without the embroidery in gold. For my great-grandfather Verus, who died in boyhood, received this from Hadrian, who adopted him." Albinus received this letter, but he utterly refused to do what the Emperor bade. For he saw that Commodus was hated because of his evil ways, which were bringing destruction upon the state and dishonor upon himself, and that he would sometime or other be slain, and he feared that he might perish with him.
SH32695. Silver denarius, RIC IV 23d, RSC III 40c, BMCRE V 285, Hunter III 28, SRCV II 6169, VF, light toning, nice style, reverse a bit flat, weight 2.919 g, maximum diameter 17.8 mm, die axis 180o, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, issued as Augustus; obverse IMP CAE D CLO SEP ALB AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse GEN LVG COS II, Genius of Lugdunum, standing slightly left, wearing turreted crown, long scepter vertical in right hand, scepter in left hand, on left eagle at feet; rare (R2); SOLD


Carinus, First Half 283 - Spring 285 A.D.

|Carinus|, |Carinus,| |First| |Half| |283| |-| |Spring| |285| |A.D.||antoninianus|
In Roman religion, every man has a genius, a presiding spirit. In De Die Natali, Censorinus says, from the moment we are born, we live under the guard and tutelage of Genius. Cities, organizations, and peoples also had a genius. On coins, we find inscriptions to the Genius of the Roman people, of the Senate, of the Emperor, etc. The legend GENIVS EXERCITI dedicates this coin to the Genius of the army.
RA91628. Billon antoninianus, RIC V-2 255; Cohen VI 38; SRCV III 12346; Pink VI/2, p. 34; Hunter IV - (p. clxii), Choice gVF, excellent centering, small edge crack, light encrustations, weight 4.120 g, maximum diameter 21.6 mm, die axis 180o, 1st Officina, Rome mint, 3rd emission, Aug 283 A.D.; obverse IMP C M AVR CARINVS AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse GENIVS EXERCITI, Genius standing left, kalathos on head, nude but for cloak over shoulders, patera in extended right hand, cornucopia in left hand, KAA in exergue; from the Maxwell Hunt Collection; SOLD







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