Gordian III Silver Antoninianus, RIC IV Gordian III 153

Monetary Context and Denominational Background

By the early 240s AD, the antoninianus or double denarius had firmly supplanted the traditional silver denarius as the workhorse denomination of the Roman imperial monetary system. First introduced under Caracalla in AD 215, the radiate denomination was temporarily curtailed under Severus Alexander but revived aggressively under the joint rule of Balbinus and Pupienus in AD 238. During the sole reign of Gordian III (AD 238 to 244), the imperial administration mass-produced the antoninianus on an unprecedented scale to finance administrative expenditures, grain subsidies, and extensive military operations against Germanic incursions and the Sasanian Empire. Although tariffed at two denarii, the antoninianus contained only approximately one and a half times the silver weight of an contemporary denarius, enabling the imperial treasury to capture significant seigniorage profits with each emission. By the issuance of RIC IV Gordian III 153 in AD 243 to 244, the alloy had slipped into a moderately debased billon standard, fluctuating around forty to forty-five percent silver fineness. This structural overvaluation accelerated the demonetization of older, higher-purity denarii according to Gresham's Law, cementing the antoninianus as the primary medium of tax collection, military stipends, and interprovincial trade throughout the Roman world.

Mint Organization and Production at Rome

The issue catalogued as RIC IV Gordian III 153 was struck exclusively at the principal imperial mint situated in the city of Rome. During the later years of Gordian III, the Rome mint operated with a sophisticated divisional system commonly understood by numismatists as comprising six organized workshops or officinae. Although officina marks had not yet become systematically integrated into the reverse field inscriptions or exergues as they would under the later reforms of Philip I and the radiate issues of the second half of the third century AD, stylistic analyses and hoard statistics demonstrate that production of specific reverse types was allocated to distinct workshops to ensure targeted output quotas. The Securitas Perpetua reverse type was assigned as a core regular type within the final substantive emission series of Gordian's reign. Production of these flans involved casting rounded blanks followed by rapid strike between hardened bronze or iron dies, executed by paired hammerers and die-holders. Die axis alignment at Rome was largely oriented to twelve o'clock or six o'clock, reflecting careful workshop control despite the substantial output volumes necessary to sustain the Roman war effort in the east during the Persian campaign.

Obverse Portraiture and Royal Iconography

The obverse of RIC IV Gordian III 153 depicts the mature imperial portrait of Gordian III, facing right. He wears the distinctive radiate crown, the canonical numismatic attribute denoting the double-denomination value of the antoninianus. The bust is carefully draped and cuirassed, combining the paludamentum or military cloak pinned at the shoulder over protective scale or plate armor. Stylistically, the portrait displays the mature features of the emperor toward the conclusion of his reign, distinct from the youthful, rounded depictions seen on his earliest accession issues of AD 238. Die engravers rendered the short cropped hair, incipient facial structure of young adulthood, and firm jawline characteristic of the fifth and sixth Rome emissions. While early issues of Gordian often portrayed a fragile child-emperor under maternal and senatorial tutelage, the portrait on this late issue reinforces his role as commander-in-chief, an ideological necessity coinciding with the mobilization of the imperial armies along the Danubian frontier and through the Syrian provinces.

Reverse Iconography: Securitas Perpetua

The reverse design of this type features Securitas, the personification of state stability, confidence, and protection from external and internal turmoil. She stands draped in a long stola, facing toward the left with her legs casually crossed at the ankles. Her left elbow rests securely atop a low architectural column or cippus, while her right hand grasps a sceptre positioned either vertically or transversely across her torso. The column is an established iconographic convention in Roman art denoting unwavering permanence, physical support, and institutional foundation. The crossed legs convey complete absence of fear, representing absolute calm and effortless composure amid political or military storms. By invoking Securitas under the specific epithet Perpetua, the coin provided reassurance of continuous safety for the Roman populus and army during a period marked by active warfare against the Sasanian king Shapur I. The sceptre signifies rightful imperial dominion and divine governance, completing a tableau intended to project confidence in the unbroken continuity of the regime.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The legends on RIC IV Gordian III 153 conform precisely to the established epigraphic standards of the Rome mint in the mid-third century AD. The obverse inscription reads IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, structured continuously around the periphery from the lower left to the lower right. This formula incorporates the title Imperator (IMP), the family name Gordianus, the honorific epithets Pius (dutiful or reverent) and Felix (fortunate or prosperous, contracted as FEL), and concludes with Augustus (AVG). Notably, this formula had superseded the earlier obverse titles featuring invictus or explicit consulship and tribunician designations, serving as the standardized obverse template for the later half of the reign. The reverse legend reads SECVRITAS PERPETVA, which translates directly to 'Everlasting Security' or 'Perpetual Safety'. The epigraphy across both faces is executed in clear, serifed Roman capitals, cleanly laid out inside concentric beaded borders. Epigraphic variants for this specific type are minimal, restricted primarily to minor spacing adjustments and the positioning of the sceptre across the letter breaks.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Numismatists, beginning with Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in Roman Imperial Coinage and refined through later hoard studies, assign RIC IV Gordian III 153 to the final chronological emission of the Rome mint, dated between AD 243 and early AD 244. This emission replaced earlier issues that featured dated tribunician counts and alternative deities such as Apollo, Jupiter, or Virtus. In modern typological systems, including the Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE) project, the type is catalogued precisely as ric.4.gor_iii.153. It belongs to a coherent substantive group of antoniniani characterized by the IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG obverse formula paired with personifications affirming imperial continuity, including Fortuna Redux, Felicitas Temp, and Victoria Aeterna. The production of this specific type terminated abruptly around February or March AD 244 following the death of Gordian III in Mesopotamia and the subsequent accession of Philip I, who quickly superseded all Gordianic reverse dies with his own imperial types.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Context

Antoniniani of RIC IV Gordian III 153 achieved broad distribution across the provinces of the Roman Empire, leaving a substantial footprint in the archaeological and hoard record. Because millions of radiates were minted to support the eastern legions, specimens traveled widely throughout Syria, the Balkans, Italy, and along the Rhine and Danubian frontiers. Great third-century coin deposits, including the Dorchester Hoard in Britain and multiple extensive continental finds from France and the Balkans, contain generous numbers of this type. Because its intrinsic silver purity was consistent with the ongoing emissions of Philip I and Trajan Decius, the type remained in active circulation for several decades, avoiding premature selective melting until the catastrophic debasements under Valerian and Gallienus during the late 250s and 260s AD reduced earlier antoniniani to premium bullion. Trace wear patterns on preserved specimens from late-third-century context indicate that coins of this type circulated actively well past the midpoint of the century.

References

1. The Coinage of Gordian III from the Mints of Antioch and Rome. Numismatic Chronicle
2. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 125-140
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Gordian III 153. ric.4.gor_iii.153
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III - Uranius Antoninus. pp. 15-52