Volusian Silver Antoninianus

Monetary Context and Economic Crisis

The antoniniani issued under Volusian between AD 251 and 253 operated within an imperial economy under severe structural strain. By the reign of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian, the radiate antoninianus had firmly supplanted the denarius as the backbone of Roman silver currency, with denarii reduced to ceremonial and fractional output. The Roman state confronted cascading difficulties, including military defeats on the Danube, Persian incursions in the east, and the devastating Cyprian plague that ravaged Rome and the provinces. To finance military defense and secure the loyalty of the legions through repeated donatives, the imperial treasury maintained the debased billon standard established under Decius. Metallurgical analyses demonstrate that Volusian's antoniniani generally contained roughly twenty to thirty percent silver, with the remainder composed of copper, tin, and lead. The coins received a surface enrichment treatment during blank preparation, blanching the copper from the exterior to give newly minted pieces the pale luster of good silver. This cosmetic measure masked an underlying inflationary trajectory, as the nominal face value of the antoninianus remained far above its intrinsic bullion value.

Mints and Workshop Production

Production of Volusian's antoniniani was concentrated at two primary imperial centers, with secondary activity recorded at a third contested facility. The principal mint was Rome, which operated a sophisticated multi-officina structure. Under Gallus and Volusian, the Rome mint utilized six distinct workshops, often distributing specific obverse titular variations and reverse allegorical themes systematically across officinae. A second major mint operated in the east at Antioch, striking antoniniani characterized by distinctive regional portraiture, sharper fabric, and divergent reverse compositions intended to supply the eastern legions resisting Sasanian incursions. Scholarly consensus also identifies a third mint group, historically designated in standard references as Mediolanum (Milan) or an uncertain Italian or Balkan facility. This workshop produced antoniniani with stylistic hallmarks that blend central Italian die carving with coarser local execution. Across all mints, flans varied in weight and diameter, typically ranging from 2.5 to 3.8 grams and measuring between 20 and 23 millimeters, with irregular flan edges and cracking caused by rapid striking onto chilled blanks.

Obverse Iconography and Portraiture

The obverse of the antoninianus consistently features the portrait of Volusian wearing the radiate crown, the numismatic mark of the denomination. Depending on the mint and strike period, the portrait shows Volusian with a youthful, clean-shaven or lightly bearded countenance, reflecting his rapid promotion from adolescent heir to collegiate ruler. At Rome, the bust is typically executed with naturalistic Roman classical modeling, showing the prince draped and cuirassed, or occasionally cuirassed only, facing to the right. The radiate crown sits firmly atop short, cropped military hair rendered in closely cut locks. At the Antioch mint, portraits present a more rigid, stylized aspect, characterized by prominent facial features, larger eyes, and an upright neck angle common to eastern die-sinkers. Although right-facing busts dominate the series overwhelmingly, rare left-facing busts are recorded in specialized hoards, usually associated with particular commemorative emissions or ceremonial distributions.

Reverse Typology and Religious Propaganda

The reverse repertoire of Volusian's antoniniani reflects both urgent religious crisis management and traditional imperial virtues. Prominent among his types are deities invoked to combat the catastrophic plague. Apollo Salutaris appears standing left holding an olive branch and lyre, inscribed APOL SALVTARI, beseeching the god of healing for deliverance. An equally notable type honors Juno Martialis, a protective civic goddess depicted seated within a round distyle or tetrastyle temple or standing with ears of corn and a shield, accompanied by the legend IVNO MARTIALIS. Alongside these specific appeals, conventional propaganda types reinforced imperial cohesion. Concordia is frequently depicted seated or standing holding a patera and double cornucopiae, stressing harmony between Volusian and his father. Other widespread personifications include Pax carrying an olive branch and transverse scepter, Virtus symbolizing military fortitude, Salus sacrificing at an altar, Aequitas holding scales, Libertas with pileus, and Felicitas with a caduceus, each advertising stability during a fractured political era.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Formulas

The legends on Volusian's antoniniani carefully chart his administrative progression and titular status. His brief introductory coinage as Caesar carries obverse legends such as C VIBIO VOLVSIANO CAES, acknowledging his subordinate status within the dynasty. Upon his elevation to Augustus following Hostilian's death, the obverse legends expand to full imperial nomenclature. The most prolific formula at Rome is IMP C C VIB VOLVSIANVS AVG (Imperator Caesar Caius Vibius Volusianus Augustus), occasionally modified in earlier or variant dies to IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG in the dative case or IMP CAES C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG. At Antioch, the titulature frequently mirrors the dative forms or employs distinct spacing patterns. Reverse legends are straightforwardly nominative or dative, communicating either the deity addressed, such as PIETAS AVGG, CONCORDIA AVGG, or VIRTVS AVGG (with the double G denoting the collegiate rule of two Augusti), or the blessing invoked, such as PAX VINDICE or FELICITAS PVBLICA.

Typological Sequencing and Chronology

The chronological sequence of Volusian's antoniniani spans less than two years, divided into clear numismatic phases. Phase One begins in the summer of AD 251, immediately following the catastrophe of the Battle of Abrittus. Trebonianus Gallus adopted Hostilian as co-Augustus to avert civil strife, creating his own son Volusian as Caesar; antoniniani from this phase are modest in volume and bear Caesar titles. Phase Two commenced late in AD 251, around November, when Hostilian died and Volusian was elevated to Augustus. The mint of Rome then unleashed extensive parallel emissions across its workshops, introducing the AVGG plural legends that celebrated the joint emperors. Between early AD 252 and mid-253, ongoing series integrated emergency religious appeals alongside references to Volusian's consulship (P M TR P IIII COS II). The final phase abruptly concluded in the late summer of AD 253 when the Danubian commander Aemilian marched on Rome, leading to the murder of Gallus and Volusian by their own soldiers at Interamna.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Context

Volusian's antoniniani circulated broadly across the European, North African, and Near Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, heavily integrated with earlier radiates of Gordian III, Philip I, and Decius. Hoard evidence demonstrates that these coins moved rapidly along military transportation corridors connecting the Balkan frontier, northern Gaul, and Syria. Important numismatic deposits, such as the Gibraltar hoard, the Cunetio and Dorchester hoards in Britain, and various Balkan finds, consistently reveal substantial concentrations of Gallus and Volusian billon radiates. The heavy alloy debasement ensured that these coins were rapidly absorbed into daily military and civil transactions rather than being hoarded as high-grade bullion. Because their intrinsic precious metal value was low, populations spent them freely while older, finer silver denarii were hoarded, illustrating Gresham's Law. Chemical surface decay in damp burial soils often leaves excavated specimens with dark grey or green copper-leached patinas.

References

1. The Development of the Radiate Denomination, A.D. 238-260. pp. 63-96
2. Le monnayage de Trébonien Galle et Volusien. pp. 197-224
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part III: Gordian III to Uranius Antoninus. pp. 174-190
4. Roman Imperial Coins in the Hunter Coin Cabinet, University of Glasgow: Volume III. pp. 219-231