Saloninus, 260. Antoninianus (Silver, 22 mm, 4.05 g, 6 h), Cologne, summer 260. [IMP SALON VALER]IANVS AVG Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Saloninus to right, seen from behind. Rev. FELICITAS AVGG Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus in right hand and cornucopiae in left. Cohen -. Elmer 109. Gilljam, Antoniniane des Saloninus Augustus, in MÖNG XXVII (1987), 6, p. 82, fig. 10 (this coin). MIR 916f. RIC -. Extremely rare, one of approximately only a dozend examples known. With a unusually well struck reverse. The obverse weakly struck and somewhat off center, otherwise, very fine.


Saloninus, still a juvenile at the time, was residing in Cologne when Postumus made his bid for power by laying siege to the city in 260. With his father Gallienus far away in Pannonia, Saloninus decided to assume the title Augustus in a desperate attempt to gain local support against the ursuper. The inhabitants, however, soon decided to turn him over to Postumus to avoid the sacking of their city. The rarity of the coinage for Saloninus Augustus shows that this episode can not have lasted any longer than a few weeks. Two types were issued: SPES PVBLICA, with approximately 60 examples known, and the much rarer FELICITAS AVGG (the AVGG referring to the Augusti Gallienus and Saloninus) of which roughly a dozen examples are known.