Saloninus, 260. Antoninianus (Billon, 21 mm, 3.89 g, 5 h), Cologne, July-August 260. IMP SALON VALERIANVS AVG Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Saloninus to right, seen from behind. Rev. SPES PVBLICA Spes advancing left, holding flower in her right hand and raising her skirt with her left. Cohen 94. Elmer 108. MIR 917f. RIC 14 corr. (Spes advancing right). Very rare. Beautifully toned and without the porosity that frequently plagues this series. Struck from the usual somewhat worn dies, otherwise, good very fine.


Saloninus, still an infant, 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 usuper. The inhabitants, however, soon turned him over to Postumus to avoid the sacking of their city. The rarity of the coinage for Saloninus Augustus shows that this episode cannot have lasted any longer than a few weeks: only about seventy examples have survived, rendering each and one of them a highlight in any collection covering this troubled era.