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Gallienus AR Antoninianus Milan AD 259-261
Obverse: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate bust right
Reverse: INDVLG AVG, Spes, draped, walking left, holding flower in right hand and raising robe with left hand, P in left field
RIC V Gallienus/Milan 485
**EXTREMELY RARE TYPE AND FINEST KNOWN EXAMPLE**
Incredibly, this issue of Gallienus from Milan may be one of the rarest coins to exist for Gallienus; the reverse legend of INDVLG AVG is known from just THREE RIC entries and the use of Spes instead of the goddess Indulgentia is quite interesting, although they did share some of the same attributes; the portrait of Gallienus appears much closer to the earlier joint reign issues with Valerian, thus although RIC/OCRE gives a broad range of dates, the style and the fact that this example is FULLY SILVERED, if not struck in silver, was likely issued in AD 259-261, before Gallienus was forced to debase the currency; the P in the left field likely stands for Prima and indicates this is the first emission for this type as well; as of the time I am writing this attribution, this specimen appears to be the ONLY example of its type in this condition and with the officina P in the left field; the coin comes with an old collectors envelope for a dealer or shop called French’s, which appears to be from the 1960’s!
All coins are authentic and from my own personal collection. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
Over the coming weeks I will be adding more fixed price listings of Late Roman Bronze Coins so please check back with me.
If there is any specific type you are looking for let me know. I have an extensive Late Antique collection with AE and some AR issues dating from the mid 3rd Century AD to the 8th Century AD
I strive to make accurate impressions of the coins I list, thus my listings tend to have a multitude of photos, taken under different light sources and from different angles, as there is nothing worse (in my opinion) than purchasing a coin and having it arrive looking nothing like the photo!
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