Heritage World Coin Auctions
CICF Signature Sale 3046 14-15 April 2016
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Ancients
Magnentius (AD 350-353). AV solidus (23mm, 4.33 gm, 6h). Trier, AD 350-352. IM C MAGN-ENTIVS AVG, bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust of Magnentius right, seen from front / VICTORIA · AVG · LIB · ROMANOR, Victory (on left, standing right) facing Roma (standing left), holding between them a military trophy on a jeweled staff, TR in exergue. RIC VIII 247. Bastien 5-7. Rare! Well struck, with a detailed portrait. Flan very slightly bent and straightened. NGC AU 5/5 - 2/5, crimped.Magnentius is often described as a barbarian and a pagan, but this probably represents a hostile Constantinian tradition. His father was a British Roman citizen, while his mother was Frankish, but Magnentius' loyalty to the empire was never in doubt and he enjoyed a successful career in the Roman army. A cabal of military men fed up with Constans' listless rule selected Magnentius to lead a coup, which proved successful in the short term, but ultimately led to a disastrous civil war with Constantius II, emperor of the East. Magnentius posed as a champion of the common people, a role reflected in his coin portraits, in which he is usually shown without a diadem or other trappings of royalty.
Estimate: 5000-7000 USD
Magnentius (AD 350-353). AV solidus (23mm, 4.33 gm, 6h). Trier, AD 350-352. IM C MAGN-ENTIVS AVG, bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust of Magnentius right, seen from front / VICTORIA · AVG · LIB · ROMANOR, Victory (on left, standing right) facing Roma (standing left), holding between them a military trophy on a jeweled staff, TR in exergue. RIC VIII 247. Bastien 5-7. Rare! Well struck, with a detailed portrait. Flan very slightly bent and straightened. NGC AU 5/5 - 2/5, crimped.Magnentius is often described as a barbarian and a pagan, but this probably represents a hostile Constantinian tradition. His father was a British Roman citizen, while his mother was Frankish, but Magnentius' loyalty to the empire was never in doubt and he enjoyed a successful career in the Roman army. A cabal of military men fed up with Constans' listless rule selected Magnentius to lead a coup, which proved successful in the short term, but ultimately led to a disastrous civil war with Constantius II, emperor of the East. Magnentius posed as a champion of the common people, a role reflected in his coin portraits, in which he is usually shown without a diadem or other trappings of royalty.
Estimate: 5000-7000 USD