Antoninianus - Probus Cuirassed or draped, spear and shield, left from back; VIRTVS PROBI AVG; Mars
| Silver | 4.01 g | 22.92 mm |
| Issuer | Rome › Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Emperor | Probus (Marcus Aurelius Probus) (276-282) |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Years | 277-280 |
| Value | Antoninianus (1) |
| Currency | Antoninianus, Reform of Caracalla (AD 215 – 301) |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | 4.01 g |
| Diameter | 22.92 mm |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Hammered |
| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Updated | 2024-10-05 |
| Numista | N#399516 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 97% |
Reverse
Mars, helmeted, walking right, holding spear in right hand and trophy in left hand; sometimes at his feet, one or two captives.
Script: Latin
Lettering:
VIRTVS PROBI AVG
In exergue XXI followed by officina mark or in exergue XXI and officina mark in right field or in between legs of Mars.
Unabridged legend: Virtus Probi Augusti.
Translation: Courage of emperor (Augustus) Probus.
Comment
RIC 810 was minted by the first to the sixth officina of the Siscia mint. The original RIC text mentions 6 different variations/different bust types (bust types according to Pierre Bastiens grouping of bust types; see illustrated: probvs.net), and there are also multiple variants known:
- radiate, draped, right (A bust (*), Numista #293166);
- radiate, cuirassed, right (B bust (Alföldi - (**), example: probuscoins.fr #1559), Numista #293848);
- helmeted, radiate, cuirassed, left, holding spear in right hand and shield in left hand (bust E1, Alföldi 096.225-241, Numista #293849);
- radiate, wearing imperial mantle, left, holding sceptre surmounted by eagle in right hand (bust H2, Alföldi 096.171-188, Numista #293850);
- radiate, cuirassed, left (B1 bust, Alföldi 096.197-202, Numista #293851);
- radiate, cuirassed, left, with spear and shield (F1 bust, Alföldi 096.205-223, Numista #399374);
- [var] radiate, cuirassed, left, with spear (F5 bust (***), Alföldi 096.203-204, not in Numista);
- [var] radiate, helmeted, cuirassed or draped left, holding spear and shield, seen from back (bust E2 bust (example: probuscoins.fr #364), Alföldi 096.247-254, not in Numista);
- [var] radiate, cuirassed or draped left, holding spear and shield, seen from back (bust F8 bust, Alföldi 096.242-246, this coin);
- [var] radiate, wearing imperial mantle, left, holding pudgio in left hand and Victory on globe in right (bust I8 (example: probuscoins.fr #519), Alföldi -, not in Numista);
- [var] radiate, wearing imperial mantle, right, holding sceptre surmounted by eagle in right hand (bust H4 (example: probuscoins.fr #1487), Alföldi -, not in Numista);
- [var] radiate, wearing imperial mantle, left, holding sceptre surmounted by eagle, and globe in right hand (bust H26 (example: probuscoins.fr #2979), Alföldi -, not in Numista);
- [var] helmeted, radiate, cuirassed, right (bust D1 (no example published), Alföldi 096.224-224a, not in Numista).
(*) RIC seems to mistakenly not list the A2 bust (Probus, draped and cuirassed, right) but the A bust (Probus, draped, right). See for example RIC 651 where the A2 and A bust are separately listed. There are no published examples of the A bust. There are multiple published images of examples with the A2 bust (probuscoins.fr #2967, #2211, #2968 and #4565) and also Alföldi only lists the A2 bust (#096.189-196 in (**) Andreas Alföldi, Vorarbeiten zu einem Corpus der in Siscia geprägten römischen Kaisermünzen. Heft V. Verzeichnis der Antoniniane des Kaisers Probus, Budapest, 1939).
(***) The F5 bust can be considered as a variant because the original RIC text only mentions "with or without spear and shield" not "with or without spear and shield or spear".
According to Pink, RIC 810 is part of the 4th (exergue-/mint mark style: -/-//XXIP), 5th (-/-//XXIP) and 7th (-/P//XXI) emission, which was in the year 277, 278 and 280 (Karl Pink, Der Aufbau der römischen Münzprägung in der Kaiserzeit VI/I, Wien, 1949, p. 41).
Pink distinguishes between "Mars nackt [nude] g. r" (clear example: probuscoins.fr #2967) and "Mars im mil. Gewand [robe] r" (clear example: probuscoins.fr #1512). Published examples of RIC 810 only show Mars nude.
The ‘mint-/exergue mark’ “ϵ in right field; XXI” listed in RIC is a mistake because it cannot exist for RIC 810. The ϵ was only used during the 1st-3rd and 8th emission, when RIC 810 was not minted.
About this variant
This F8 bust variant is listed as a variant of RIC 810 because it is the only entry in RIC for the Siscia mint with the obverse and reverse legend "IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG" and "VIRTVS PROBI AVG" and the reverse depicting Mars walking right.
The F8 bust consists of two versions, both present for this variant of RIC 810:
- radiate, draped left, holding spear and shield, seen from back (this coin and examples: probuscoins.fr #2217, #4686, #4937, Alföldi 096.242);
- radiate, cuirassed left, holding spear and shield, seen from back (examples: probuscoins.fr #3599, #4977, Alföldi 096.243-246).
Interesting fact
The Antoninianus - Probus coin was part of a series of coins issued during the reign of Emperor Probus (276-282 AD) to promote the virtues of the Roman army. The coin features the image of Mars, the Roman god of war, on the reverse, symbolizing the military prowess of the Roman Empire. The use of Mars on the coin was a common feature of Roman coins during this period, as the empire was constantly engaged in military campaigns to defend its territories and expand its borders. The coin also features the inscription "VIRTVS PROBI AVG" on the obverse, which translates to "The Virtue of Probus, Augustus." This inscription highlights the importance of virtue and moral character in Roman society, and suggests that the coin was issued to promote the idea that the Roman Empire was a virtuous and just society, led by a virtuous and just emperor. Overall, the Antoninianus - Probus coin is an interesting example of how coins were used as a tool for political propaganda and promotion of Roman values during the Roman Empire.
