Postumus Silver Antoninianus RIC V Postumus 59

Monetary Context

The introduction of RIC V Postumus 59 occurred against the backdrop of the political and military crises of the mid-third century AD. Following the capture of Emperor Valerian by the Sasanian Persian forces in AD 260 and severe frontier instability along the Rhine, Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus seized power in the Western provinces. In doing so, he founded the independent administrative unit known to modern historians as the Gallic Empire (Imperium Galliarum). Postumus immediately recognized that monetary stability was indispensable to his political survival and the ongoing defence of the Rhine frontier against Germanic intrusions. While the central Roman mints under Gallienus accelerated the debasement of the radiate antoninianus down to meager traces of silver, Postumus instituted a rigorous conservative monetary policy. The earliest emissions of the Gallic Empire, to which RIC V Postumus 59 belongs, maintained a comparatively high silver content, often exceeding 15 to 20 percent fine silver by weight, before declining in later emissions. By maintaining an intrinsically superior billon coinage, Postumus positioned himself as the legitimate protector of traditional Roman values and ensured that military stipends retained dependable purchasing power. The antoninianus served as the workhorse denomination of the military economy, and the Fides Militum type functioned directly as both currency and an explicit statement of contract between the new emperor and his supporting armies.

Production and Mint Attributions

In the foundational volume of The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC V, Part II), Percy H. Webb assigned the production of RIC V Postumus 59 entirely to the mint of Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France). Webb followed early nineteenth-century consensus, which viewed the ancient Gallic capital as the natural site for Postumus's central monetary operations. Under this older attribution, the issue was understood as part of an organized multi-officina system functioning continuously from the beginning of the reign. Subsequent scholarship has thoroughly re-evaluated this mint attribution. Georg Elmer's seminal 1941 study argued that Postumus's initial mint was situated closer to the active Rhine frontier, proposing Cologne (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium) as the primary minting center, with later activities shifting to Augusta Treverorum (Trier). Later numismatic research, including studies of major British and continental hoards such as the Cunetio and Normanby hoards by Edward Besly and Roger Bland, underscored the complexity of the Gallic mint network. Many scholars now classify these early radiate issues under Mint I, representing either Cologne or an itinerant field mint following the imperial headquarters, while reserving the Lugdunum designation for distinct stylistic groups or acknowledging that multiple workshops operated concurrently. Despite these modern nuances, the catalogue designation RIC V Postumus 59 remains tied to Lugdunum in standard reference databases such as OCRE.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC V Postumus 59 presents a powerful and mature portrait of Postumus facing right, crowned with the radiate crown (corona radiata) that visually defined the double-denar or antoninianus denomination. In accordance with the catalogue definition, two primary bust drapery treatments are documented: a radiate, draped bust, and a radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust viewed from the back or three-quarters front. The artistic execution of the portraiture distinguishes early Gallic imperial issues from their central imperial counterparts. Rather than the increasingly abstract and stylized portraits seen at Rome, the dies for Postumus present a naturalistic, heavily bearded countenance, broad features, and meticulously rendered facial musculature. This iconography deliberately evoked the traditional military virtues and gravitas associated with earlier soldier-emperors, presenting Postumus as an experienced and steadfast frontier commander capable of securing the provinces.

Reverse Iconography and Attributes

The reverse of the type depicts the personification of Fides, representing fidelity, trust, and mutual allegiance. Fides is shown draped and standing left, holding a vertical military ensign or legionary standard in each hand. The standards are typically depicted with circular phalerai and terminal finials, emphasizing the formal military context of the personification. This composition was an established staple of Roman military numismatics, but it carried acute topical urgency for Postumus. Elevated through a violent coup that involved the overthrow of Saloninus at Cologne, Postumus was acutely vulnerable to mutiny or rival usurpation. The representation of Fides holding the twin standards was a direct visual invocation of the shared oath of allegiance (sacramentum militare) binding the Rhine legions to their commander. By placing this deity prominently on his early billon coinage, Postumus affirmed that the legionary hierarchy remained united behind his rule.

Epigraphy and Legend Variations

The obverse legend on RIC V Postumus 59 is uniformly rendered as IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, an abbreviated epigraphic formula reading Imperator Caesar Postumus Pius Felix Augustus. The inclusion of the imperial titles Imperator and Caesar alongside the honorifics Pius Felix asserted full constitutional parity with the central emperors in Rome, firmly rejecting any subordinate status or regional limitation in official protocol. The reverse bears the legend FIDES MILITVM, translating directly as 'Faith of the Soldiers' or 'Military Loyalty'. The lettering is executed in a clear, well-spaced Roman capital script characteristic of early Gallic die cutters. Minor die variations occur in letter forms, spacing, and the angle at which the military standards are held, reflecting the output of several individual engravers working within the mint. Unlike later emissions of the Gallic Empire, which frequently bore mintmarks or officina letters in the field or exergue, RIC V Postumus 59 is typically devoid of exergual marks, relying purely on stylistic criteria for chronological and workshop placement.

Typology and Chronological Sequence

Within the typology of the Gallic Empire, RIC V Postumus 59 is placed early in the reign, struck between AD 260 and 262, although Webb's original catalogue encompassed the broad range of Postumus's entire reign from AD 260 to 269. Detailed die and sequence analyses by Elmer, reinforced by the stratified hoard records documented by Besly and Bland, demonstrate that issues bearing the full imperial obverse title combined with FIDES MILITVM formed part of the first and second emissions of the primary northern workshop. The type is stylistically distinct from later variants featuring different bust directions, condensed legends, or additional reverse attributes. Chronologically, it was issued contemporaneously with other military-themed reverses such as VICTORIA AVG, HERC DEVSONIENSI, and CONCORDIA EQVIT. Over the course of Postumus's reign, the standard antoninianus suffered subtle weight reductions, dropping from initial averages of around 3.0 to 3.5 grams down to lower weights, but this early FIDES MILITVM type consistently exhibits the higher physical fabric, broader flan, and better alloy indicative of the reign's earliest phase.

Circulation Patterns and Hoard Contexts

Antoniniani of the RIC V Postumus 59 type circulated predominantly within the boundaries of the Gallic Empire, comprising the provinces of Gaul, Britannia, and Germania Superior and Inferior, with occasional penetration into northern Hispania. Because of its superior silver content, the type enjoyed broad public confidence and circulated intensively through military payment networks and commercial markets alike. In the massive coin hoards buried during the late third-century crises, such as the Cunetio Hoard in Wiltshire (which contained tens of thousands of radiate coins) and the Normanby Hoard, early issues of Postumus are heavily represented. However, because these coins possessed intrinsic silver value greater than the disastrously debased radiates issued under Victorinus, Tetricus I, and the later central emperors, they were frequently targeted for hoarding or subsequent recycling into low-grade billon. Many surviving specimens exhibit signs of moderate to heavy wear from extended circulation across the decades following Postumus's death, remaining in active currency until the monetary reform of Aurelian in AD 274 brought an end to the Gallic currency pool.

References

1. The Cunetio Hoard: Roman Coinages of the Third Century AD. pp. 135-148
2. Die Münzprägung der gallischen Kaiser in Köln, Trier und Mailand. pp. 1-106
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC V Postumus 59. ric.5.post.59
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume V, Part II. p. 341, no. 59