253-268 AD Rome's DARKEST HOUR Emperor GALLIENUS Billon ROME Mint "ANTONINIANUS"

Description: FOR the complete story, FULL DETAILS and BIG CLEAR PICTURES, Please SEE THE DESCRIPTION 253-268 AD Rome's DARKEST HOUR Emperor GALLIENUS Billon ROME Mint "ANTONINIANUS" Description This is an about average example of the quality of the coinage by the Roman mint at this period of “Military Anarchy and Economic Collapse”. It is a billon, or low-purity silver, "Antoninianus" or “Double Denarius” from the ancient Roman Empire. It was struck at Rome between 265 and 267 AD for one of the most unfortunate Emperors, "Gallienus." It was made during his sole reign, after his father got captured by the Sassanians. In his 30's when his father, the Emperor Valerian, raised him to the rank of Augustus or co-Emperor in 253, Gallienus saw Rome's "Darkest Hour" before he was assassinated in 268. In 260 AD his father, the Emperor Valerian, was captured by treachery in the east by the Sassanid King and humiliated by being made to serve as a footstool when the King mounted his horse. But there was more… Weight: 3.18 Grams, 22 Millimeters, Billon or low-purity silver. Similar to "Roman Coins & Their Values", Volume 3, by David R. Sear. #10368. Obverse: GALLIENVS • AVG • Gallienus, Augustus or Emperor. • Radiate, head of Gallienus right. The radiate crown signified the denomination as an “Antoninianus” or “Double Denarius”. Gallienus was left sole Emperor but the eastern Empire from Turkey to Egypt was gone, taken over by the “Palmyrenes” under Queen Zenobia. Then, also in 260, in the west, the usurper Postimus, a Roman General, successfully revolted, taking Spain, France and Britain into the "Gallic Empire" that was to last 14 years, longer than Gallienus. Gallienus was left with just the center of what had once been mighty Rome. Truly its "Darkest Hour". Gallienus was a competent general and tried to reclaim the lands but he had to keep putting down minor rebellions in the areas he did rule. He was assassinated by a group of his own officers, two of whom would later become Emperor, during one such rebellion in 268. Correctly described as “Military Anarchy”. Reverse: VBERITAS • AVG • The abundance of the Emperor. • Uberitas, the Goddess of abundance and fertility, standing left, holding Cornucopia and cow’s udder, purse or bunch of grapes. (It has been described as all three). • E in field was the officina or specific mint workshop letter. At the beginning of his reign, the billon coinage was at about 15% silver. By 266 it had fallen to just about 5%. By the end of the reign, it was down to just 2.5%. The coinage of Gallienus has long been considered the lowest point in the fabric, design and execution of all the long history of Roman coinage. The ancients discovered a way to make low grade silver coins, such as this, appear to be made of much better silver than they were actually struck from. They would soak the planchets in a salt solution, possibly seawater, and let the acid from the salts eat away the surface copper molecules, leaving the silver. Then, when the coins were struck, the surfaces would take on a nice "Silvered" look. They were bright and flashy and passed much easier than a copper coin. Unfortunately, the nice "Silvering" soon turned dark in circulation. As you can see, this coin still has a silvered look on both sides. The Coin: A typical coin of Gallienus. It has been through some tough times. The silvering tells us it saw little use before it spent a long time in the ground, which had its effect. It looked just about this poorly produced when it came off the dies. Genuine, NOT a copy or reproduction, Real History in your hands. As grading is subjective, please see the pictures and judge for yourself. Remember, FREE SHIPPING to the USA! Due to the nature of this piece, a padded envelope is mandatory so out of the US shipping will be at postage cost, as determined by the eBay calculator for your location, (shipping tab above) nothing extra added. Payment I ship the day after cleared payment. Payment in US funds only please. Returns: Accepted, in original condition, in most cases and encouraged if the item has been misdescribed. If you need more than one week from the close of the sale to make payment, that is not generally a problem, PLEASE, JUST LET ME KNOW when you expect to pay. If No payment and No contact is made, eBay will CANCEL THE SALE on the eighth day. Shipping Shipping to the USA will be FREE! Shipping OUT OF THE USA will be at POSTAGE COST as determined by the eBay calculator for your location (see the shipping tab above) - NOTHING Extra Added! All items will be insured, at no extra cost. International shipments will also be insured at no extra cost to most countries. International Buyers ? 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Price: 14.95 USD

Location: Tucson, Arizona

End Time: 2024-11-28T02:00:15.000Z

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