Billon Antoninianus Of Gallienus RIC 585

Billon Antoninianus (19mm 2.25g) Struck AD 260-268. Siscia

Obv: GALLIENVS AVG Radiate and laureate head right

Rev: VBERITAS AVG Uberitas, standing left, holding a bunch of grapes & cornucopia, in E rt field

RIC V i 585var, Sear 10368
Uncleaned coin find

1. The Real-Life Drama Behind It

Gallienus ruled during a crazy time called the Crisis of the Third Century. The Roman Empire was facing plagues, civil wars, and economic collapse all at once. Because the government was running out of cash, they couldn't afford to make coins out of pure silver anymore.

This coin is made of billon—which is just a fancy way of saying it's mostly cheap copper or bronze with a tiny, super-thin wash of silver on top. It was the ancient version of inflation!

2. The Front (Obverse): "Look, I'm the Sun!"

On the front, you see the profile of Emperor Gallienus with the words GALLIENVS AVG (Short for Gallienus Augustus, meaning Emperor Gallienus).

Notice that pointy, spike-looking crown he's wearing? That’s called a radiate crown, designed to look like beams of sunlight. Romans used this crown as a visual shorthand to tell people, "This coin is worth double the value of a denarius!"

3. The Back (Reverse): Ancient Propaganda

The back features the text VBERITAS AVG and depicts Uberitas, the Roman goddess of wealth, fertility, and plenty. She's holding two things:

• A bunch of grapes (symbolizing a rich harvest and good wine).
• A cornucopia (a horn of plenty, symbolizing endless wealth).

This was pure political spin. Even though the empire's economy was crashing and people were struggling, Gallienus put the goddess of abundance on his money to reassure everyone: "Don't worry, under my rule, everything is going to be prosperous and plentiful!"

The little letter E you see on the right side is a workshop mark, showing exactly which section of the mint in Siscia (modern-day Croatia) stamped out this specific coin.