Claudius II Gothicus Antoninianus, RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137

Monetary Context and Denominational Setting

During the reign of Claudius II Gothicus from AD 268 to AD 270, the Roman monetary system was characterized by severe debasement and hyper-expansion of the radiate antoninianus. Introduced in AD 215 under Caracalla as a formal double denarius, the antoninianus had initially maintained a substantial silver alloy of over fifty percent. By the terminal years of Gallienus and the accession of Claudius II, relentless military expenditures, civil conflict, and fiscal exhaustion had eroded the intrinsic precious metal content to negligible levels. The coins struck under RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137 represent this advanced phase of crisis coinage, cast in low-grade billon or silver-washed bronze containing approximately two to three percent silver. The physical fabric remained thin and irregular, with flans typically weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 grams. To present a respectable appearance upon release, newly struck antoniniani underwent chemical pickling or surface blanching, leaching out base copper to leave a microscopic layer of enriched silver on the surface. Because this delicate wash wore away swiftly in commerce, contemporary users handled coins that rapidly assumed a dark, coppery appearance. In daily circulation, the intrinsic value had detached almost completely from official nominal valuation, prompting widespread hoarding of older, finer issues and compelling the state to emit massive volumes of radiates to satisfy military obligations.

Production at the Mediolanum Mint

The emission catalogued as RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137 was produced exclusively by the imperial mint at Mediolanum. Following the revolt of the cavalry general Aureolus in AD 268 and the subsequent demise of Gallienus during the siege of Milan, Claudius II consolidated authority over northern Italy and immediately leveraged the Mediolanum mint to support his frontline operations against the Alamanni. Mediolanum operated as a vital logistical and military mint due to its proximity to the Alpine passes and northern frontiers. Mint operations were structured into distinct workshops, or officinae, designated to balance output and track production quotas. Die preparation at Mediolanum under Claudius II displayed a characteristic regional style: portraiture exhibited rigid facial contours, a clipped, squared beard, and prominent radiate crowns with sharply defined triangular spikes. The reverse figures were cut with clean vertical posture and streamlined drapery folds. Flan manufacture frequently left jagged, uneven edges, reflecting the rapid pace of blank casting and striking under extreme wartime conditions. Production runs for RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137 were substantial, intended to provide immediate cash disbursements for the mobile field armies stationed in the Cisalpine theater.

Obverse Portraiture and Regnal Imagery

The obverse of RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137 presents the imperial likeness of Claudius II rendered with the attributes of legitimate military command. The type exhibits two distinct portrait configurations recorded in numismatic corpora. The primary and most frequent bust variant depicts the emperor facing right, radiate and draped, viewed from the side or back, wearing the radiate solar crown that identified the double-denomination radiate since the early third century. The second, more elaborate bust variant portrays Claudius II facing left, radiate, holding a celestial globe in his right hand and a sceptre over his shoulder. This left-facing composition carries strong triumphal overtones, presenting the sovereign as the master of the terrestrial orb and legitimate ruler by divine right. The engraving style of the Mediolanum die cutters avoids the softer, classicizing features found on the earlier sole reign coins of Gallienus, instead favouring a severe, militaristic visage defined by a heavy brow, linear jawline, and short-cropped military coiffure. These stylistic conventions highlighted the martial ethos expected of an Illyrian soldier-emperor called upon to defend the empire against external incursions.

Reverse Iconography of Aequitas

The reverse design of RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137 features the personification Aequitas draped and standing left, embodying the virtue of divine and imperial fairness. In her right hand she extends a balance, an ancient symbol of measured calculation, distributive justice, and correct weighing. In her left arm she cradles a full cornucopiae, the horn of plenty signifying material abundance and civic prosperity. Within the third-century ideological framework, Aequitas was directly linked to the integrity of public administration, the grain supply, and the honesty of the imperial monetary authorities. Struck at a moment when the state was actively distributing billions of base antoniniani containing almost no silver, the invocation of Aequitas represented an assertion of fiscal legitimacy, assuring both soldiers and civilians that the coin was fully backed by imperial authority regardless of its physical composition. The figure is engraved in classical posture, resting weight on one leg with draped garments cascading in stylized vertical folds typical of late third-century workshop production at Mediolanum.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The inscriptions on RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137 are brief, formal, and executed in standard Latin block lettering. The obverse reads IMP CLAVDIVS P F AVG, an abbreviated form of Imperator Claudius Pius Felix Augustus. This standard formula asserts his supreme military authority through the title Imperator, his devotion to divine order and state welfare through Pius Felix, and his sovereign station as Augustus. The omission of extended consular or tribunician dating within the legend was standard practice on regular radiate issues of the period, allowing dies to remain functional across calendar years without recutting. The reverse legend reads AEQVITAS AVG, contracting Aequitas Augusti, meaning the Equity or Fairness of the Emperor. The lettering is generally neat but often compact, tightly fitted along the beaded inner border. In some strikings from the Mediolanum workshops, officina letters such as P (Prima), S (Secunda), or T (Tertia) appear in the reverse field or exergue to denote the workshop responsible, though specimens without distinct mintmarks or with off-flan markings are also common.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Catalogued originally by Percy H. Webb in the fifth volume of The Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137 belongs to the middle period of the emperor's brief reign between autumn AD 268 and early AD 270. Because Claudius II perished from the plague at Sirmium in the late summer or autumn of AD 270, the chronological window for this issue is strictly limited. At Mediolanum, coinage began almost immediately after Claudius secured control of the city following the assassination of Gallienus. The AEQVITAS AVG reverse was struck alongside parallel issues dedicated to Fides, Victoria, and Pax, which collectively formed the inaugural and substantive emissions of the new regime in northern Italy. The type is differentiated internally by the two documented obverse bust treatments, the standard radiate draped bust right and the rarer left-facing bust with globe and sceptre. The emission ceased when Mediolanum shifted its typological program toward later thematic slogans and ultimately transitioned to the brief coinage for Quintillus before coming under the control of Aurelian.

Circulation, Hoards, and Demonetization

Antoniniani of the RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137 type circulated extensively throughout Italy, Gaul, the Danube provinces, and Raetia. Due to rapid production and swift dissemination through military pay chests, specimens integrated immediately into the commercial bloodstream of the western empire. The coins are frequently recorded in late third-century coin hoards across Britain, France, and Italy, such as the Cunetio and Normanby hoards, illustrating their presence alongside contemporary products of the mints of Rome, Siscia, and Cyzicus, as well as contemporaneous issues of the Gallic Empire under Victorinus and Tetricus I. Because of their severe debasement, these coins did not command long-term store-of-value appeal; instead, they circulated aggressively until the monetary reform of Aurelian in AD 274 introduced the marked radiate aurelianianus (tariffed at twenty to one, marked XXI). Following the reform, older base radiates of Claudius II remained in secondary, low-level circulation at reduced tariff rates or were melted down in imperial and irregular workshops to furnish bullion for subsequent issues.

References

1. Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman Empire. pp. 145-168
2. Monnaies de l'Empire romain, XII.1: D'Aurelien a Florien (275-276 apres J.-C.). pp. 21-45
3. Roman Quinarii: From the Republic to Diocletian and the Tetrarchy. pp. 312-320
4. Coining Images of Power: Imperial Virtue Representation on Roman Coinage, AD 193-284. pp. 165-178
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. V, Part I. pp. 211-215
6. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137. RIC V Claudius Gothicus 137