The New York Sale
Auction 40 11 January 2017
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ANCIENT COINS, ROMAN EMPIRE, Carausius. Silver Denarius (3.38 g), Romano-British Emperor, AD 287-293. London(?), AD 286/7. IMP CARAVSIVS P F AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Carausius right. Rev. MONE-T[A] AVG, Moneta standing facing, head left, holding scales and cornucopiae. (RIC 717; RSC 71-3). Rare. Toned. Choice very fine.
In AD 287, Carausius, a commander of Roman forces in Britain of Gallic descent, raised the banner of revolt and proclaimed himself independent emperor of a Romano-British empire that included the province of Britannia as well as parts of northern Gaul. In order to give himself an air of legitimacy and to maintain the loyalty of his followers, Carausius struck several rare series of good silver denarii - something that had not been struck in the Roman empire since the mid-third century AD. By doing this he gave the impression of greater success and legitimacy than the Tetrarchs Diocletian and Maximianus who wanted to remove him from power. The latter struck billon radiate coins with only a very minimal silver content. Unfortunately for Carausius, while he did manage to briefly raise the intrinsic value of his Romano-British coinage to the shame of his contemporaries in Rome, he was ultimately assassinated by Allectus, his own finance minister, in AD 293.
Estimate: $ 3,500
In AD 287, Carausius, a commander of Roman forces in Britain of Gallic descent, raised the banner of revolt and proclaimed himself independent emperor of a Romano-British empire that included the province of Britannia as well as parts of northern Gaul. In order to give himself an air of legitimacy and to maintain the loyalty of his followers, Carausius struck several rare series of good silver denarii - something that had not been struck in the Roman empire since the mid-third century AD. By doing this he gave the impression of greater success and legitimacy than the Tetrarchs Diocletian and Maximianus who wanted to remove him from power. The latter struck billon radiate coins with only a very minimal silver content. Unfortunately for Carausius, while he did manage to briefly raise the intrinsic value of his Romano-British coinage to the shame of his contemporaries in Rome, he was ultimately assassinated by Allectus, his own finance minister, in AD 293.
Estimate: $ 3,500