Trajan Decius Silver Antoninianus RIC IV Trajan Decius 28b

Monetary Context and the Mid-Third-Century Antoninianus

The reign of Trajan Decius (AD 249 to 251) fell squarely within the turbulent epoch commonly referred to as the Crisis of the Third Century. During this interval, military conflicts on the Rhine and Danube frontiers, combined with internal civil strife, placed intense pressure on the imperial treasury. The primary silver denomination struck to meet these operational expenditures was the antoninianus, originally introduced by Caracalla in AD 215. Although the ancient administrative name for this coin remains unrecorded in surviving legal or administrative papyri, numismatists recognize it by the radiate crown adorning the emperor's portrait, an iconographic convention signifying a double denomination. From its inception, the radiate was an overvalued coin: while tariffed as an equivalent to two silver denarii, it was struck at a weight of only about 1.5 denarii. By the late 240s under Philip I and continuing into the reign of Decius, the old denarius had virtually disappeared from active production, leaving the antoninianus as the primary workhorse of Roman state finance and military remuneration. Metallurgical examinations show that the silver fineness of the antoninianus dropped progressively toward 40 to 45 percent under Decius, alloyed heavily with copper and trace metals. In this inflationary monetary landscape, the central administration relied on mass output of radiates to sustain legionary pay and secure the loyalty of the army.

Mint Production and Workshop Organization

The antoniniani classified under RIC IV Trajan Decius 28b were produced at the central mint of Rome. In this era, the Rome mint operated through a structured officina system consisting of multiple numbered or lettered workshops, although Trajan Decius's regular silver issues generally omit explicit workshop marks in their fields or exergues. Production at Rome relied on two-part coin blanks cast in clay or bronze mold trees and subsequently hammered between iron or bronze dies. The heavy demands of military payrolls led to intense die production, resulting in subtle stylistic variations among individual die-engravers working within the capital's workshops. While provincial mints such as Mediolanum (Milan) and Viminacium have occasionally been debated for third-century issues, the classical style, neat fabric, and portraiture of RIC IV 28b place its origin firmly at Rome. The weight standard of the Rome mint antoniniani under Decius typically targeted around 4.0 grams, though surviving specimens demonstrate wide operational variation, frequently spanning from 3.0 to 4.8 grams. Flans were prepared rapidly, occasionally exhibiting cracked edges, irregular planchet shapes, or incomplete striking caused by rapid manual hammer-blows.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Representation

The obverse of RIC IV Trajan Decius 28b presents a right-facing portrait bust of Trajan Decius wearing a radiate crown, draped in the imperial cloak (paludamentum), and armored in a military cuirass. This specific portrait treatment distinguishes subvariant 28b from entry 28a, where the emperor is depicted with a cuirass alone, omitting the mantle drapery. The radiate crown served both a theological and a numismatic function, visually linking the ruler to Sol Invictus while simultaneously alerting handlers to the coin's double-denomination status. Decius's portraiture represents a distinct stylistic turn toward veristic realism, deliberately invoking Republican and early imperial traditions of civic gravitas and martial austerity. Engravers at Rome depicted him with deeply etched furrow lines across the forehead, prominent nasolabial folds, deep-set eyes, and tightly cropped hair and beard. This stylistic choice aimed to contrast his image with that of his predecessor, Philip the Arab, projecting the steadfast demeanor of an experienced Illyrian commander dedicated to traditional Roman virtues and discipline.

Reverse Iconography: The Imagery of Uberitas

The reverse of the coin features the female personification Uberitas (also spelled Ubertas in Latin literary sources), standing draped and turned toward the left. In her left arm, she cradles an overflowing cornucopiae, the classical emblem of agricultural bounty and prosperity. In her extended right hand, she holds a curved, pendulous object that has generated long-standing debate among classical numismatists. Traditional seventeenth- and eighteenth-century cataloguers, followed by early nineteenth-century scholars, frequently interpreted this object as a cow's udder (uber), reading it as an etymological pun upon the goddess's name. However, modern numismatic analysis and comparative art historical studies overwhelmingly identify the object as a leather purse or money-bag (marsupium), closely resembling the attributes held by Mercurius. The attribute thus combines two vital dimensions of prosperity: agricultural abundance via the cornucopiae and commercial or financial wealth via the money-bag. In the fraught context of AD 249 to 251, the public invocation of Uberitas served as imperial propaganda, reassuring citizens and soldiers that the reign of Decius would bring material well-being, economic renewal, and generous imperial distributions.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The obverse legend of RIC IV 28b reads continuously along the perimeter: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG. This formula translates the emperor's official epigraphic titles: Imperator Caesar Messius Quintus Traianus Decius Augustus. The title Imperator functions as a praenomen designating supreme military command, while Caesar identifies imperial rank. His personal nomen and praenomen, Messius Quintus, are preserved alongside the adopted cognomen Traianus, which Decius deliberately assumed upon his elevation to align his reign with the revered legacy of Emperor Trajan, the optimus princeps. The title Augustus concludes the formula, ratifying his sovereign constitutional authority. On the reverse, the legend is concise: VBERITAS AVG, an abbreviation for Uberitas Augusti, or 'The Fertility and Abundance of the Augustus.' Epigraphically, the letters are executed in clear Roman capitals characteristic of the mid-third-century Rome mint, with prominent serifs. The legend asserts that economic plenty and divine fruitfulness were direct personal blessings bestowed through the agency and favor of the reigning princeps.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

Within the typology established in The Roman Imperial Coinage (Volume IV, Part III), entry 28 forms part of the standard undated silver series struck at Rome during Trajan Decius's short reign between late AD 249 and his death at the Battle of Abrittus in June AD 251. The catalog divides entry 28 into two primary bust varieties: 28a carries a bust that is radiate and cuirassed right, whereas 28b possesses a bust that is radiate, draped, and cuirassed right. Because this issue carries no consular dates or tribunician numbers, precise year-by-year chronological placement relies on hoard composition and die links with dated reverse types, such as those commemorating Decius's second consulship in AD 250 (P M TR P II COS II P P). Hoard evidence suggests that the Uberitas type was struck over a sustained period, likely introduced in early AD 250 alongside parallel personification issues such as Abundantia, Pannoniae, and Victoria. Typologically, RIC IV 28b is exclusive to this exact obverse bust configuration and reverse combination, standing distinct from bronze sestertii or aurei displaying the same reverse figure.

Hoard Evidence and Monetary Circulation

Antoniniani of the Uberitas type circulated extensively across the western and Danubian provinces of the Roman Empire. Evidence from major third-century coin hoards, including the Cunetio and Normanby hoards from Roman Britain, the Eauze hoard from Gaul, and numerous Danubian border hoards, confirms that coins of Trajan Decius formed a substantial portion of the circulating currency pool well into the AD 260s and 270s. Despite the political collapse following Decius's death against the Goths, his billon antoniniani remained in active circulation because their silver content, around 40 to 45 percent, was considerably higher than the debased radiates produced under Gallienus and Claudius II Gothicus after AD 260. Consequently, hoards buried during the late 260s and early 270s frequently contain worn specimens of RIC IV 28b, reflecting decades of commercial transfer. Gresham's Law eventually removed these earlier, heavier radiates from widespread circulation as hoarders systematically selected the more argentiferous coins of Decius and Gordian III for concealment during the chaotic apex of the mid-third-century inflation.

References

1. From Gordian III to the Gallic Empire (AD 238-274), in The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage. pp. 514-538
2. Monnaies de l'Empire romain XII.1: D'Aurélien à Florien (275-276 après J.-C.). pp. 45-48
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Trajan Decius 28b. ric.4.tr_d.28b
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III - Uranius Antoninus. p. 124, no. 28b