Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
3 Solidi - Magnentius LIBERATOR REIPVBLICAE
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 351 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Bare-headed, draped, and cuirassed bust of the emperor Magnentius facing right, rendered in three-quarter frontal perspective. The effigy displays fine engraving of the cuirass and paludamentum, conveying imperial military authority. The encircling obverse legend reads D N MAG MAGNEN-TIVS P F AVG in Latin, denoting his titles as Dominus Noster and Pater Patriae Augustus. The portrait style is characteristic of mid-4th century Western imperial coinage, with a strong, naturalistic facial treatment. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | D N MAG MAGNEN-TIVS P F AVG |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Magnentius seized power in January 350 by murdering Constans at a dinner party in Gaul — or near Helena, depending on the source — and immediately needed legitimacy. The LIBERATOR REIPVBLICAE legend was a direct political claim, positioning him as a liberator from Constantinian tyranny. It didn't hold. Constantius II defeated him at the Battle of Mursa Major in 351, one of the bloodiest engagements of the late Roman period, with casualties estimated in the tens of thousands. Magnentius fled west and killed himself in 353.
The Aquileia mint struck this triple solidus as a prestige piece, almost certainly not for circulation. RIC VIII 128 is rare by any measure.