Gordian III Silver Antoninianus RIC IV Gordian III 52

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

During the third century AD, the Roman currency system underwent substantial structural realignment, characterized by the ascendancy of the antoninianus over the traditional denarius. Initially introduced by Caracalla in AD 215 as a tariffed double-denarius containing only about one and a half times the silver of a denarius, the denomination was temporarily discontinued before its decisive revival in AD 238 by Balbinus and Pupienus. Under Gordian III, mint authorities at Rome transitioned the bulk of silver coin production to the radiate antoninianus, reducing denarius output to a minor ceremonial fraction. RIC IV Gordian III 52 was struck during AD 240, an operational period marked by intense production intended to finance military operations on the eastern and northern frontiers and to distribute standard imperial pay. By this time, the silver fineness of imperial radiates hovered near 40 to 48 percent, with individual strike weights commonly ranging from 3.5 to 5.0 grams around a mean near 4.3 grams. This intrinsic valuation allowed the imperial government to extract fiscal profit while sustaining heavy state expenditures across the empire.

Mint Organization and Production at Rome

Production of RIC IV Gordian III 52 took place exclusively at the primary imperial mint in Rome. During the middle of Gordian III's reign, the Rome facility was organized into multiple distinct officinae, or workshops, each responsible for producing specific reverses to balance the output of coin types. Numismatic analyses of die linkages, hoard distributions, and stylistic features show that the Concordia reverse type formed a standard component of one of these designated officinae in AD 240. The coin blanks were prepared from cast silver-copper alloy ingots, flattened and cut to approximately 21 to 23 millimeters in diameter. Dies were hand-engraved by imperial artisans whose work at Rome is characterized by neat, rounded letter forms and a standardized portrait treatment reflecting the young emperor's progression into adolescence. The high survival rate of dies and specimens indicates a vigorous emission rate designed to support widespread military and bureaucratic disbursements across the provinces.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC IV Gordian III 52 presents the bust of Gordian III turned to the right. The emperor is depicted with juvenile facial features, reflecting his accession in early youth, accompanied by short-cropped hair styled in the prevailing Severan military fashion. He wears a radiate crown, the spikes of which rise crisply around his head; in the imperial monetary grammar, this radiate solar crown served as the primary visual marker distinguishing an antoninianus from a laureate denarius. The emperor's bust is both draped and cuirassed, visible at the truncation of the neck and chest, where folds of the paludamentum rest over scale or plate armour fastened at the shoulder. This combined military and civil attire symbolized the princeps as supreme commander of the Roman legions and protector of the state. Die cutters rendered the portrait with classical restraint, avoiding the exaggerated stylization that emerged later in the mid-third century.

Reverse Iconography: Concordia Seated

The reverse design of RIC IV Gordian III 52 depicts Concordia, the Roman divine personification of agreement, civic unity, and domestic harmony. She is portrayed as a draped female figure seated on a heavy-backed throne oriented to the left. In her right hand, which is held outward, she balances a patera, a shallow libation dish used in Roman religious rituals to pour offerings onto an altar. Resting within her left arm is a double cornucopiae, overflowing with fruits and ears of grain. The patera emphasizes pious devotion and proper religious observance in maintaining divine favor, while the double horn of abundance signifies agricultural and material prosperity guaranteed through harmonious governance. While Concordia had long appeared on imperial issues, numismatists associate this AD 240 manifestation with the restoration of order following domestic unrest, such as the uprising of Sabinianus in Africa, and the cultivation of consensus between the throne, the Senate, and the military.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The obverse legend reads IMP CAES GORDIANVS PIVS AVG, inscribed continuously around the circumference from the lower left to the lower right. This formula integrates Imperator, Caesar, and Augustus, establishing the full constitutional framework of Gordian's authority, alongside the honorific epithet Pius, which declared his filial piety and loyalty toward the deified earlier Gordians. This specific obverse wording became the standard Rome formula starting around late AD 239, replacing the earliest reign titles. On the reverse, the legend CONCORDIA AVG abbreviates Concordia Augusti, meaning the harmony of the Augustus. The lettering is cleanly engraved in classical capitals with consistent letter heights and neat serifs typical of the Rome mint in this period. The absence of officina letters or exergual mint marks reflects the administrative practice of the Rome mint prior to the systematic introduction of field markings under Philip the Arab and Decius.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the systematic arrangement established by Harold Mattingly, Edward A. Sydenham, and C. H. V. Sutherland in The Roman Imperial Coinage, volume IV, part III, this coin is designated as Gordian III number 52. Chronologically, it belongs to the second emission of antoniniani struck under the formula IMP CAES GORDIANVS PIVS AVG, dated securely to AD 240. The type must be distinguished from neighboring issues such as RIC IV Gordian III 34, which pairs a standing Concordia holding a patera and single cornucopiae with the earlier obverse legend IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, and RIC IV Gordian III 65, where Concordia sits left holding a patera and single cornucopiae. The specific combination defining type 52 is the revised obverse legend coupled with Concordia seated left holding a patera and a double cornucopiae. This precise typological marker highlights the systematic variations employed by Roman mint administrators to rotate workshop emissions while retaining standard ideological themes.

Hoard Evidence and Circulation Patterns

Specimens of RIC IV Gordian III 52 circulated extensively throughout the Roman world, functioning as standard currency in both military zones and civilian commercial centers. The type is frequently attested in third-century coin hoards discovered across Britain, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, the Danubian provinces, and the Levant. Notable deposits such as the Dorchester hoard in Roman Britain and the Brauweiler hoard in Germany include substantial quantities of Gordian III's AD 240 antoniniani in relatively high grades, indicating that many of these coins experienced limited wear before being cached during the heightened political instability of the AD 250s and 260s. As subsequent emperors lowered the silver purity of the antoninianus, coins from Gordian III's reign were routinely selected for saving and melting, a classic illustration of Gresham's Law. Wear patterns on retrieved examples confirm that RIC IV Gordian III 52 remained in active circulation for several decades, occasionally surviving in diminished numbers within mixed hoards buried as late as the Tetrarchic period.

References

1. Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman Empire. Chapters 3-5
2. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 128-135
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Gordian III 52. ric.4.gor_iii.52
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III - Uranius Antoninus. p. 20, no. 52