Sestertius - Galba ADLOCVTIO S C

Galba's reign lasted just seven months, from June 68 to January 69 AD, cut short when Otho's faction bribed the Praetorian Guard to murder him in the Forum. The ADLOCVTIO type — depicting the emperor addressing troops — was a deliberate piece of propaganda from a man who understood his grip on the legions was tenuous from the start. He had marched on Rome from Spain with the support of frontier armies but then alienated them almost immediately by refusing the customary accession donative, reportedly saying he levied soldiers, he did not buy them.

RIC I#468 is among the more short-lived imperial bronzes, produced at Rome across a single reign year.