Th e Gallic Em p ire ( 2 6 0 -2 74 ) :
Ro m e Bre aks Ap art
Six Silv e r Co in s Co lle ct io n
An empire fractures
Roman chariots
All coins in each set are protected in an archival capsule and beautifully display ed in a m ahogany -like box.
The box set is accom panied w ith a story card, certificate of authenticity , and a black gift box.
By the m iddle of the third century, the Rom an Em pire began to show signs of collapse. A parade of em perors took
the throne, m ostly from the ranks of the m ilitary. Years of civil war an d open revolt led to an erosion of territory. In
the year 260 , in a battle on the Eastern front, the em peror Vale rian was taken prison er by the hated Persians. He
died in captivity, and his corpse was stuffed and hung on the wall of the palace of the Persian king. Valerian’s
capture threw the already-fractured em pire into com plete disarray. His son and co-em peror, Gallie n u s , was
unable to quell the unrest.
Charism atic generals sought to consolidate their own power, but none was as powerful, or as am bitious, as
Po s tu m u s . Born in an outpost of the Em pire, of com m on stock, Postum us rose swiftly through the ranks,
eventually com m anding Rom an forces “am ong the Celts”—a territory that included m odern-day France, Belgium ,
Holland, and England. In the afterm ath of Valerian’s abduction in 260 , his soldiers proclaim ed Postum us em peror.
Thus was born the so-called Gallic Em pire. After nine years of relative peace an d prosperity, Postum us was
m urdered by his own troops, and the Gallic Em pire, which had depended on the force of his personality, began to
crum ble.
Clau d iu s II G o t h i cu s , who succeeded Gallienus after the latter’s death in 268, set out to reunify the Rom an
Em pire. While he won m ajor victories over the hated Goths, earning him his nicknam e, he died of plague in 270 .
His short-lived successor, Qu in tillu s , also failed to reunify the em pire. It was left to Au re lian to bring the
breakaway Gallic Em pire back into the fold, which he did in 274.
The boundaries of the Em pire m ay have approached what they once were, but the econom y rem ained broken. Each
of the m any em perors who took the throne in the Third Century had to pay off the troop—which was accom plished
by debasin g the silver in the coins. The properties of silver are such that it can be m ixed with other m etals and still
produce a silvery coin—up to a point. Once the fineness dips below 15 percent or so, the coins take on a gray or
coppery appearance. In the days of Valerian, the coins were still silvery; by the tim e of Claudius II Gothicus, the
fineness was just three percent.
This collection features coins from five of the Rom an em perors in the days of the breakup of the Em pire, as well as
the founder of the Gallic Em pire. Portrait and legen d are on the obverse; reverses vary, but tend to feature
personifications or m ilitary them es. The instability at the top had a dism al im pact on the econom y, a down ward
spiral of hyperinflation and currency devaluation that was reflected in the coinage. Later in this period, silver
content dropped so low that coins had the appearance of bronze. These coins show typical grades.
The Coins
Ruler
1. Valerian I
Year of issue
253-260 AD
Country
Rome
Denomination
Antoninianus
Material
Silver
Weight
3-4.7 g
Diameter
21.9-23 mm
Obverse
Portrait and legend
Reverse
Various personifications or military themes
Ruler
2. Gallienus
Year of issue
253-268 AD
Country
Rome
Denomination
Antoninianus
Material
Silver
Weight
1.6-5 g
Diameter
17-24 mm
Obverse
Portrait and legend
Reverse
Various personifications or military themes
Ruler
3. Postumus
Year of issue
260-268 AD
Country
Rome
Denomination
Antoninianus
Material
Silver
Weight
3-4 g
Diameter
20-23 mm
Obverse
Portrait and legend
Reverse
Various personifications or military themes
Box data: Box measures: 7.25” x 5.5” x 1.25”
Order code: 6GALLICEMPIRESLBOX
Image shows typical coins, not to scale.
Ruler
4. Claudius II Gothicus
Year of issue
268-270 AD
Country
Rome
Denomination
Antoninianus
Material
Billon
Weight
2.3-4.5 g
Diameter
17-21 mm
Obverse
Portrait and legend
Reverse
Various personifications or military themes
Ruler
5. Quintillus
Year of issue
d. 270; 17–177 days
Country
Rome
Denomination
Antoninianus
Material
Billon
Weight
1.7-3 g
Diameter
16.8-22.5 mm
Obverse
Portrait and legend
Reverse
Various personifications or military themes
Ruler
6. Aurelian
Year of issue
270-275 AD
Country
Rome
Denomination
Antoninianus
Material
Billon
Weight
2.7-3.7 g
Diameter
21-23.5 mm
Obverse
Portrait and legend
Reverse
Various personifications or military themes