New Ungraded Roman Slabs

This week, we have brand-new ungraded Roman slabs for you and your customers! Both issues are unusual, affordable, and visually striking.

Maximinus II, Persecution Issue

This coin is immediately different from most issues. Instead of the standard portrait of the emperor on the obverse, we see a seated figure wrapped in a long garment, with a smaller figure in front of her. This could be either Tyche (most likely, given her fancy, turreted hat) or a personification of Antioch, with the river god Orontes in the foreground. The reverse is Apollo. These coins don’t technically bear the emperor’s name, so are also sometimes called “anonymous pagan issues.” They circulated during Maximinus II’s persecution of Christians in 310-313. Perhaps they were a  reminder that the empire supported and was supported by the old gods.

Looking up information on these coins was difficult, to say the least! They aren’t in Sear or ERIC. This was the best source I could find for them. They were struck in Antioch, a provincial mint, and no one agrees what their purpose was. Your guess is as good as anyone else’s! These coins are available for only $19.50 per slab. Limited quantity!

Vabalathus, Rebel King of Palmyra

During the Roman Age of Chaos, Vabalathus’ mother Zenobia saw her chance to take Syria back from Rome. Slowly she consolidated her power and began to rule more independently from the distracted and fraught empire, until in effect Palmyra was its own kingdom with she and her son on the throne. Zenobia maintained good relations with Rome while the kingdom grew in strength, and this coin is one example of that. On one side, it depicts Vabalathus as the local ruler. On the other, it shows Aurelian as the emperor of Rome. We’re not rebelling, this coin says. We’re providing local stability while still hailing the emperor as the full ruler of his empire.

This ruse obviously failed when Zenobia conquered Roman Egypt, possibly the richest and most prestigious of Rome’s holdings. In reply, Aurelian brought the full force of the Roman military down on Palmyra. The smaller empire gave, and Zenobia and Vabalathus were captured and brought to Rome. They lived out the rest of their days in a surprisingly pleasant villa, where they could not make trouble. These coins are available for $39 per slab.

 

We also have coins of Aurelian, and the Age of Chaos more broadly.