Volusian Silver Antoninianus RIC IV Volusian 169

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

The issue catalogued as RIC IV Volusian 169 was struck during the joint reign of Trebonianus Gallus and his son Volusian, who were elevated to imperial power in AD 251 following the catastrophic defeat and deaths of Decius and Herennius Etruscus at the Battle of Abrittus. Initially invested with the rank of Caesar while Hostilian, the surviving son of Decius, was retained as co-Augustus, Volusian was elevated to Augustus later that year upon Hostilian's death. The dual principate of Gallus and Volusian operated under intense military, economic, and epidemiological pressures, including border incursions along the Danubian and eastern frontiers and the ongoing Cyprian plague. In this strained environment, the double denarius, commonly known as the antoninianus or radiate, functioned as the undisputed operational core of the Roman imperial silver coinage. First introduced under Caracalla in AD 215, the denomination was tariffed at two denarii while containing the intrinsic silver equivalent of only about one and a half denarii. By the early 250s AD, production of the traditional single denarius had virtually ceased for general circulation, leaving the radiate as the principal vehicle for military pay, administrative expenditures, and inter-provincial tribute. The financial exigencies of Gallus and Volusian's reign compelled high volumes of coin production alongside continued debasement. Antoniniani of this period typically contain silver purities hovering around 20 to 35 percent, alloyed predominantly with copper, tin, and minor trace elements. RIC IV Volusian 169 embodies this critical juncture where the state relied on high-velocity production of heavily fiduciary billon coinage to meet immediate logistical commitments.

Production Technology and Mint Attribution

RIC IV Volusian 169 is securely assigned to the imperial mint at Rome. During the joint reign of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian, imperial mint operations were primarily concentrated at Rome and Antioch, with some scholars identifying auxiliary or travelling issues in the northern provinces or northern Italy, such as Mediolanum. The style, fabric, and epigraphic conventions of RIC IV Volusian 169 are fully characteristic of the central urban mint at Rome. Die engraving at Rome in this period maintained consistent anatomical proportions, disciplined lettering, and distinct officina organisation, standing in sharp contrast to the coarser, broader portraiture and diverging letter forms found on contemporary eastern radiates from Antioch. Production at Rome was divided among multiple administrative workshops or officinae, which shared the workload of striking concurrent emissions for both Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian. Physical blanks were prepared by casting flans from molten billon alloy, which were then cold- or warm-struck between hand-held upper reverse dies and anvil-embedded lower obverse dies. While weights across the series cluster broadly between 3.00 and 3.80 grams, individual flans exhibit significant variations, often ranging from under 2.50 grams to well over 4.20 grams due to relaxed al marco weighing standards. Diameter measurements generally fall between 20 and 23 millimetres. The integration of a star in the reverse field on this type represents an intentional control mark, serving to identify specific officinae, working groups, or emission phases within the mint.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Regalia

The obverse of RIC IV Volusian 169 presents a right-facing bust of Volusian, adorned with the radiate crown, drapery, and military cuirass. The radiate crown serves as the defining numismatic attribute of the antoninianus, distinguishing it instantaneously from the laureate denarius. The crown is rendered with sharply pointed rays extending outward from a central circlet resting upon neatly arranged, stylised curls of hair. Volusian is depicted with youthful facial features, a straight nasal bridge, and minimal or closely cropped facial hair, reflecting his status as a junior co-ruler elevated in his youth alongside his father. The cuirass beneath the drapery underscores the martial authority essential to imperial legitimacy in the mid-third century. Portions of the breastplate and shoulder fastenings are typically visible below the gathered folds of the paludamentum or military cloak, which is pinned at the right shoulder. Engraving quality varies across surviving dies; earlier dies of the emission often display high relief and detailed garment drapery, whereas later dies generated to meet pressing production quotas show flattened planes and more schematic rendering of the radiate spikes and cuirass ornamentation.

Reverse Iconography: Concordia with Star

The reverse of RIC IV Volusian 169 depicts the divine personification Concordia, draped and seated facing left upon a backless throne or stool. In her extended right hand she holds a patera, a shallow libation dish used in Roman religious rituals to pour offerings onto an altar. In her left arm she cradles a double cornucopiae, the horn of plenty overflowing with the fruits of the earth, symbolising abundance, peace, and domestic fertility. The double cornucopiae, in contrast to a single horn, specifically reinforces the dual nature of the imperial office, representing the combined prosperity flowing from the partnership of two emperors. A key identifying element of this catalogue type is the presence of a star situated in the reverse field, most frequently appearing in the right or upper field depending on die execution. In Roman imperial iconography, the star could carry celestial connotations of divine providence, eternity, or deification, but its functional numismatic role in this series was primarily administrative. It served as a differential mark distinguishing this issue from parallel Concordia seated issues struck without field marks or with alternating symbols. The personification of Concordia on this type was closely coordinated with equivalent issues struck concurrently for Trebonianus Gallus, creating a unified theological and ideological programme across both co-rulers' coinages.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC IV Volusian 169 are executed in the formal imperial epigraphic style of the mid-third century, arranged along the margins of the flan within beaded or linear borders. The obverse reads IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG, which abbreviates the complete official imperial nomenclature Imperator Caesar Caius Vibius Volusianus Augustus. The inclusion of the full tria nomina element Caius Vibius reflects his lineage as the son of Caius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus, asserting legitimate dynastic descent. The title Imperator Caesar establishes supreme military and constitutional supremacy, while Augustus confirms his status as co-ruler holding equal imperial titles alongside his father, rendered in the dative case of dedication. The reverse legend is rendered as CONCORDIA AVGG. The noun Concordia personifies mutual agreement, domestic peace, and harmonious governance. Crucially, the abbreviation AVGG terminates with a doubled 'G', the standard Roman epigraphic convention denoting a plural subject: Augustorum, meaning 'of the two Augusti'. This explicit plural formula directly referenced the collegial bond between Gallus and Volusian. Combined with the seated figure and the field star, the legend communicated to soldiers and civilians alike that the civil and military leadership remained undivided despite external military perils and political instability.

Typology and Chronological Sequence

Within the typology established by Harold Mattingly, Edward Sydenham, and C. H. V. Sutherland in Roman Imperial Coinage Volume IV Part III, RIC 169 occupies a specific position in the Rome mint emissions for Volusian as Augustus. The earliest issues for Volusian at Rome in late AD 251 bore his titles as Caesar (C VIBIO VOLVSIANO CAES). Following his elevation to Augustus after the passing of Hostilian in late AD 251, his obverse legends shifted to IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG, which remained the standard formula at Rome throughout the remainder of his reign until his death in AD 253. The Concordia reverse was struck in several distinct phases and sub-variants at Rome. An earlier variant features Concordia seated holding a patera and double cornucopiae without any field mark (RIC IV Volusian 167), while another variant features Concordia standing holding a patera and double cornucopiae (RIC IV Volusian 166). RIC IV Volusian 169 represents the marked phase where a star was added to the field of the seated Concordia design. This issue was paired symmetrically with corresponding antoniniani struck for Trebonianus Gallus carrying the identical reverse motif and field symbol (RIC IV Gallus 31), confirming that both issuers shared concurrent production lines and workshop allocation during the middle of the AD 251 to AD 253 sequence.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Monetary Impact

Antoniniani of the reign of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian, including RIC IV Volusian 169, circulated extensively across the provinces of the Roman Empire, although their survival patterns reflect the severe monetary disturbances of the later third century. Major hoard deposits across Britain, the Rhine frontier, Gaul, Italy, and the Danubian basin demonstrate that coins of Gallus and Volusian moved rapidly away from the Rome mint through official state distributions, primarily targeting legionary garrisons and administrative centres. Because the reign lasted only around two years, ending with the usurpation of Aemilian in AD 253, the absolute volume of coins produced for Gallus and Volusian was smaller than that of the preceding Decian reign or the subsequent joint rule of Valerian and Gallienus. Consequently, in later third-century hoards buried during the chaotic 260s and 270s AD, such as the Cunetio and Normanby hoards in Roman Britain, specimens of RIC IV Volusian 169 and contemporary types form a modest but consistent proportion of the total billon content. When the silver content of the radiate collapsed dramatically under Gallienus and the Gallic Empire to less than five percent, earlier radiates containing between 20 and 35 percent silver, including RIC IV Volusian 169, were frequently culled from circulation, hoarded, or remelted by provincial populations to preserve intrinsic wealth.

References

1. Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman Empire. pp. 124-148
2. Monnaies de l'Empire romain, XII.1: D'Aurélien à Florien (275-276 après J.-C.). Introduction on mid-third-century mint structures, pp. 19-35
3. Roman Coins from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. pp. 129-142
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Volusian 169. Type record ric.4.vo.169
5. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III to Uranius Antoninus. pp. 177, no. 169