Tetricus II was elevated to Caesar by his father Tetricus I around 272 AD, making him nominally co-ruler of the breakaway Gallic Empire in its final, desperate years. By this point the Gallic mint at Cologne — and likely auxiliary operations elsewhere — was producing antoniniani with dramatically debased silver content, sometimes barely a surface wash over bronze. The coinage of Tetricus II is consequently prone to extreme die deterioration and heavy silvering loss, meaning that well-preserved examples represent interrupted hoarding rather than careful handling.
The empire fell to Aurelian at the Battle of Châlons in 274. Both Tetricuses were captured but, unusually, spared.
Tetricus II was elevated to Caesar by his father Tetricus I around 272 AD, making him nominally co-ruler of the breakaway Gallic Empire in its final, desperate years. By this point the Gallic mint at Cologne — and likely auxiliary operations elsewhere — was producing antoniniani with dramatically debased silver content, sometimes barely a surface wash over bronze. The coinage of Tetricus II is consequently prone to extreme die deterioration and heavy silvering loss, meaning that well-preserved examples represent interrupted hoarding rather than careful handling.
The empire fell to Aurelian at the Battle of Châlons in 274. Both Tetricuses were captured but, unusually, spared.