Billon Antoninianus Of Gallienus RIC 180

Billon Antoninianus (20mm 2.70g) Struck AD 267-268 Rome

Obv: GALLIENVS AVG Radiate head right

Rev: DIANAE CONS AVG Antelope walking left

RIC V 180, cf Sear10199
Found in a lot of uncleaned coins

At the time, the Roman Empire was dealing with invasions, plagues, and rebel leaders popping up everywhere. The emperor on this coin, Gallienus, had a clever idea to boost morale and keep people on his side—he released a famous series of coins dedicated to protecting gods and magical animals. This is one of them!

Here is how you read and interpret both sides of the coin:

The Front (Obverse)

• The Picture: You see the head of Emperor Gallienus looking to the right. He is wearing a radiate crown, which looks like a crown made of pointy sunbeams. This wasn't just for fashion; it showed he was connected to the sun god, and it was a visual shortcut telling Romans, "Hey, this coin is worth double a standard denarius!"
• The Text: GALLIENVS AVG
• What it means: Short for Gallienus Augustus. "Augustus" was the official title for the Emperor.

The Back (Reverse)

• The Picture: An antelope walking casually to the left.
• The Text: DIANAE CONS AVG
• What it means: Short for Dianae Conservatrici Augusti, which translates to "To Diana, Protector of the Emperor."

Why an Antelope and Diana?

In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and the moon. She was fierce, independent, and fiercely protective. Emperors loved to put gods on their money to say, "Look, the gods love me and are keeping me safe, so you should trust me!"

The antelope on this coin was one of Diana’s special, sacred animals. It symbolized speed, agility, and grace—all traits a struggling empire might pray for.

By passing these coins out to the public and the army, Gallienus was trying to reassure everyone that even though things were tough, a powerful goddess and her swift protector animals were watching over Rome!