The Family of
Valentinian 364 to 395: Bronze Coinage
1. Secvritas Reipvblicae coins of Valens, Valentinian
and Gratian.
Introduction
For many Roman coin collectors a major part of the
hobby lies in the identification and categorisation of the coin. Lack of funds
can be a problem in acquiring whole swathes of the celator’s art but late Roman
bronze coinage provides a source of relatively cheap and interesting coins. In
the first of what I hope will be a series of pages, I have dipped into my
collection of “Secvritas Reipvblicae”
coins of Valens, Valentinian and Gratian to try and show some of the fun
involved in appreciating a Roman coin and identifying their source. I have used
Late Roman Bronze Coinage (LRBC) by Carson, Hill and Kent as the main reference
work. Examples become progressively
more difficult to identify through the page.
The basic coin
The coin was issued by Valens, Valentinian I and
Gratian (and a few by Valentinian, II) and features a reverse with Victory
advancing left holding a wreath and palm. There were 14 mints. It was minted
from 365-378 (Trier) 364-78 (Lyons, Arles, Rome, Aquileia, Siscia,
Thessalonica) 364-7 (Sirmium) 364-75 (Heraclea, Constantinople, Nicomedia,
Cyzicus, Antioch, Alexandria). The reverse has the inscription SECVRITAS
REIPVBLICAE which itself bears some
investigation. It is found on other coins also. Basically it means “The
strength of the State” showing that the coin provides the first function of
money - being universally acceptable in exchange. But we need to go further
than that. Words can have various meanings in Latin. “Res publica” means
the state though “res” itself can be translated loosely as meaning
“thing”. One translation to be avoided in this context, however, is”
Secvritas” meaning “security” in the modern sense of an industrial state.
While following up the mintings of SECVRITAS
REIPVBLICAE coins under Valens et al in LRBC (Late Roman Bronze Coinage) I have
come across the apparent anomaly that there appears to be a three year gap at
the Eastern mints (Heraclea, Constantinople, Nicomedia, Cyzicus, Antioch and
Alexandria) between 375 and 378 AD. I
presume this is a repeated error.
It will be
found that the vast majority of these coins available and for sale come from
Siscia. RIC reported in 1949 that there were 44 different mintings for
Valentinian (for Siscia) between 364
and 375. J-P Callu has authoritatively demonstrated that these 44 mintings in
eleven years represented a distribution
of production every quarter of
the year, with a fresh minting each quarter as an elaborate method of
controlling production. LRBC gives officina for each minting per Emperor.
The obverse busts are pretty much interchangeable
for all three Emperors. Always the bust is draped and pearl-diademed. Valentinian I was Augustus from 25th
February 364 to 17th November 375. Valens, his brother, was Augustus
from 28th March 364 to 9th August 379 and Gratian was
Augustus from 24th August 367 to 25th August 383. Their
relative seniority can affect the officina by which they are minted.
The coins
These are shown below with attached notes to each
coin. These try to give an impression of how my mind is working !
1 18 mm Obverse DN VALEN-S PF
AVG. Bust draped and pearl diademed. Reverse
SECVRITAS/REIPVBLICAE. Victory advancing left holding a wreath and palm. Exergue (A)SISCE As it is minted in Siscia we look in the LRBC range 1271- 1509.
There is an R above a kind of upper-tailed A in left field. This narrows the
possibilities to give 1416, 1417, 1447-9 – a problem is that these expect
something in right field. On looking we can see ● with S above in right
field. We can now narrow down the LRBC number.
LRBC 1447. AD 372-4. Following Callu (who worked out there were
quarterly mintings at Siscia) we could be more precise. At this time there were
four officinae at Siscia. LRBC tells us that at this time the Secvritas coins
of Valens were minted by Officina A so the first letter must be A. In the
complicated letter system used at Siscia the final E in the exergue is
expected. (Secondary references VM 49
Sear 4118)
There was a change from the early broken form of
name for Valens (N-S) to a later form (S-PF). Note that this coin is early
form.
2. 17.5 mm.. DN VALENTINI-ANVS PF
AVG Hair detail but bit ragged round edge. Bust draped and pearl diademed (As
always found with these issues). Reverse SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE Victory
advancing left holding a wreath and palm. Left field B. Is there a right field
fern? (No – probably a trick of the eye). For this issue and mint the field
symbols are transposed from that found for the GLORIA RO-MANORVM issue. Exergue
SMAQ? - Aquileia. SM stands for Sacra Moneta.
LRBC 971.There were two officinae working at this time at
Aquileia so one would expect to find P(rimus) or S(ecundus) after the SMAQ in
the exergue. P(rimus) looks the more likely.
AD 364-7 ( Sear 4103 Van Meter 46)
3 17.5 mm. Obv DN VALEN-S PF
AVG. Bust draped and pearl diademed.
Reverse (SECVRITAS) REIPVBLICAE. Exergue ?SISc *D in left field, S in right field. Victory advancing left. This
is Siscia again. LRBC 1322. The officina mark looks like gamma (The third
officina) AD 367-369. Following Callu
we could be more precise for the dating. (Van Meter 49. Sear 4118).
4. 17.5 mm. Reverse: (off flan)
REIPVBLICAE (A?)SISC Will be Gamma or
delta for Valentinian's officina before
SISC if not the very first minting. Obverse DN VALENTINI-ANVS PF AVG LRBC
1271-1509. I don't think there's anything in the fields but might just be a
mirage. So LRBC 1273, 1277, 1281. 1273 seems almost certainly it. But if it is there should be an A before
SISC. Otherwise there would be a dot or a fern as well as the officina mark and
there doesn’t seem to be room for it. 364-367 AD (Sear 4103, Van Meter 46)
5. 17 mm Good detail on obverse of this. Pearl
diademed head facing right. DN VA(LEN) –S PF AVG. Reverse Victory running left
with garland (less good detail). D
S in left and right field
(something above D). SECVRITAS (REIPVBLICAE) Exergue ASIS (Siscia ). Is it
Valentinian or Valens? There appears to be an S after the break which would
give Valens and there is not the conglomeration of letters before the break you
would expect with Valentinian.. LRBC 1322 AD 367-9 (VM 49. Sear 4118)
6. 18.5 mm. draped,
pearl-diademed right facing bust. Obverse slightly off-centre. Small chunk
taken out of bottom. Turn upside down for reverse - draped figure Right hand
extended upwards and holding something round with a line down the side. Writing round outside and bottom cut off
with letters PR? Or ex N/M?CD/O. This is our old friend Victory advancing left
holding a wreath (Can see SECURITAS).
Arles or Constantinople. This is always one to look out for. As Constantine II
was born in Arles it changed its name and started minting using the letters
CON. It reverted to Arles on his death.
Leaning towards Arles because of letter in front (Constantinople usually
has the officina number second plus it follows the Greek lettering). DN
VALENTINI-ANVS PF AVG. There don’t appear to be any letters in fields. Exergue
PCON. Plain pearl diadem for first (more important officina) Is Arles Securitas
confined to Valens and Valentinian. Now 100% sure Valentinian LRBC 527, 375 AD. (VM 46 Sear 4103)
7. 19.5 mm Victory advancing
left. Nice coin on decent sized flan – slightly off centre. One rosette on front as usual), draped, pearl-diademed bust right.
Nice head. Valentinian . (DN)
VALENTINI(-ANUS PF AUG).Legend 1b .Victory advancing left holding a wreath and
palm – would be SECURITAS (REI)PUB(LICAE).
Exergue () CON . Will be Arles LRBC. AD 367-375. May be
something in right field – thus the possibilities. 496, 501, 508, 527. 527 most likely and 375 AD (VM 46 Sear
4103)
8.19 mm. Valens A.D.364-378. Obv: D.N.VALEN-S PF AVG.
Pearl diademed and draped bust right.
Rev: (SEC)VRITAS REIPVBLICAE. Victory advancing; in exergue, CON? Little missing before the (C)ON. Arles most
likely. LRBC 528 or 532. c 373-6
AD (V M 49, Sear 4118)
9. 18mm at widest. Bit broken. Victory to left. DN
VALENTINI-(missing) ANVS PFG Bust draped, pearl-diademed. – nice block
lettering. Reverse OF/ II in fields.. REIPVB Exergue CONSsymbol? Letters in
field are particularly interesting because they stand for Officina II – the
second workshop. Arles most likely
–518, 520. Constantinople ? – no, because symbols aren’t there. (Van Meter #
46. Sear 4103)
10. 18.5 mm. A Gratian to end on. Gratian A.D 367-383.
Rev SECURITAS REPUBLICAE. B + symbol which looks like a star above’ in left
field. An X or star is found in the right field. Good but slightly overcleaned.
Obverse draped and pearl-diademed. DN GRATIANVS PF AVG; no break in legend.
LRBC inscription type 2. TES – Thessalonika mint in the range 1708-1808. The B
in the field refers to the second officina – my thanks to Damian for his help
on this one. The only LRBC possibility is 1754. Note there are no examples of
this Gratian coin on Wildwinds. (Van
Meter 45). See also RIC IX pages
168-171.
Summary
|
No |
Van Meter |
Mint |
LRBC |
Date |
Sear |
Emperor |
RIC |
Size |
|
1 |
VM
49 |
Siscia |
1447 |
372-374 |
4118 |
Valens |
|
18 |
|
2 |
VM
46 |
Aquileia |
971 |
364-7 |
4103 |
Valentinian |
|
17.5 |
|
3 |
VM
49 |
Siscia |
1322 |
367-9 |
4118 |
Valens |
|
17.5 |
|
4 |
VM
46 |
Siscia |
1273,1277,
1281 |
364-7 |
4103 |
Valentinian |
|
17.5 |
|
5 |
VM
49 |
Siscia |
1322 |
367-9 |
4118 |
Valens |
|
17 |
|
6 |
VM
46 |
Arles |
527 |
375 |
4103 |
Valentinian |
|
18.5 |
|
7 |
VM
46 |
Arles |
527
? |
375
? |
4103 |
Valentinian |
|
19.5 |
|
8 |
VM
49 |
Arles |
528,
532 |
373-376 |
4118 |
Valens |
|
19 |
|
9 |
VM
46 |
Arles |
518,
520 |
367-75 |
4103 |
Valentinian |
|
18 |
|
10 |
VM
45 |
Thessalonika
|
1754 |
364-78 |
|
Gratian |
|
18.5 |
Copyright John Gardner 11th September 2001
I have now ordered RIC IX so should soon be able to
add RIC numbers.
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