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Sesterce - Postume P M TR P COS II PP/ S/C, Trèves

Issuer Gallic Empire
Year 261
Type Standard circulation coin
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Obverse description Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Posthumus facing right, rendered in the Roman imperial tradition with characteristic military attire. The portrait displays the emperor's distinctive features with a laureate wreath crowning the head. The encircling obverse legend reads IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, positioned around the periphery of the flan. The overall style reflects the workshops of the Trier mint during the early Gallic Empire period.
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Reverse description Virtus personified standing left, holding a globe in the right hand and a long spear pointing upward in the left hand, symbolizing military virtue and imperial dominion. The figure is depicted in a commanding stance typical of Roman allegorical reverse types. The reverse field bears the senatorial authorization mark S C (Senatus Consulto), divided across the field. The encircling legend P M TR P COS II PP runs around the periphery, recording Posthumus's tribunician power and his second consulship. The composition follows the standard sestertius iconographic program of the Trier mint, circa 261 AD.
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Additional information

Postumus declared himself emperor in 260 AD after executing Salenius Saloninus, the son of Gallienus, at Cologne — an act that formalized the breakaway Gallic Empire rather than merely announced it. His COS II dating places this piece in 261, his first full regnal year, when his administration was consolidating control over the Rhine frontier provinces and presenting itself as the legitimate defender of the west against both barbarian incursion and the increasingly distant central Roman government.

The Trier mint was central to this program. Cohen 249 is well-attested; survivors in this weight range tend to show uneven flan preparation characteristic of the early Gallic mint output.

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