Antoninianus - Probus Imperial mantle, left, sceptre surmounted by eagle; ROMAE AETERNAE; Roma
277 year| Silver | 3.3 g | - |
| Issuer | Rome › Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Emperor | Probus (Marcus Aurelius Probus) (276-282) |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Year | 277 |
| Value | Antoninianus (1) |
| Currency | Antoninianus, Reform of Caracalla (AD 215 – 301) |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | 3.3 g |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Hammered |
| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Updated | 2024-10-05 |
| Numista | N#293777 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 97% |
Reverse
Hexastyle temple, Roma seated in centre, facing left, holding globe in right hand and sceptre in left hand; beside her, shield.
Exergue mark followed by the officina mark.
Script: Latin
Lettering: ROMAE AETERNAE
Unabridged legend: Romae Aeternae.
Translation: Everlasting Rome.
Comment
RIC 739 was minted by the first to the sixth officina of the Siscia mint. The original RIC text mentions 4 different variations/different bust types (bust types according to Pierre Bastiens grouping of bust types; see illustrated: probvs.net), and there are also two variants known:
- Radiate, cuirassed, right, holding spear (bust F9, Alföldi - (*) (no examples published), Numista #293095);
- Helmeted, radiate, cuirassed, left, holding spear in right hand and shield in left hand (bust E1, Alföldi 060.011-018 (example: probuscoins #1907), Numista #293776);
- Radiate, wearing imperial mantle, left, holding sceptre surmounted by eagle in right hand (bust H2, Alföldi 060.004-007 (example: probuscoins #1909), this coin);
- Radiate, cuirassed, left, holding spear in right hand and shield in left hand (bust F1, Alföldi 060.008-010 (example: probuscoins #2957), Numista #293777);
- [var] Radiate, draped and cuirassed, holding spear, left (bust F5, Alföldi 060.014 (example: probuscoins #2554), not in Numista);
- [var] Radiate, draped and cuirassed, right (bust A2, Alföldi 060.015 (example: probuscoins #3117), not in Numista).
(*) Andreas Alföldi, Vorarbeiten zu einem Corpus der in Siscia geprägten römischen Kaisermünzen. Heft V. Verzeichnis der Antoniniane des Kaisers Probus, Budapest, 1939).
According to Pink, RIC 739 - with its obverse legend nr. 3 ('IMP C M AVR PROBVS PF AVG') and mint-/exergue mark style XXIP-XXIVI - is part of the 4th emission, which was in the year 277 (Karl Pink, Der Aufbau der römischen Münzprägung in der Kaiserzeit VI/I, Wien, 1949, p. 50-51).
OCRE states mistakenly that the obverse depicts "Hexastyle temple, Roma seated in centre, facing left, holding Victory in right hand and sceptre in left hand; beside her, shield". The original RIC text states: "Roma seated l. in temple, holding globe and sceptre; besides her, shield". For Roma holding Victory, see RIC 737.
Interesting fact
The Antoninianus coin, which was issued during the reign of Probus (276-282 AD), was the first Roman coin to feature the image of a living emperor. Prior to this, Roman coins typically featured images of deities, personifications of abstract concepts, or previous emperors who had been deified. The inclusion of Probus' image on the coin was a significant departure from traditional Roman numismatic design and marked a turning point in the representation of imperial power on Roman coins.
