Cornelia Supera, Augusta, 253. Antoninianus (Silver, 22 mm, 3.16 g, 6 h), Rome. C CORNEL SVPERA AVG Diademed and draped bust of Cornelia Supera set to right on crescent. Rev. VESTA Vesta, veiled, standing front, head to left, holding patera in her right hand and transverse scepter in her left. Cohen 5. Hunter 1. RIC 30. Extremely rare. An exceptionally attractive piece, very well struck and with a particularly sensitive portrait. Minor edge split, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.


We know very little about the lives and achievements of many 3rd-century emperors and would-be emperors, aside from their coins and a few scant literary references. Even less is known about their wives. Such is the case with Cornelia Supera, the wife of Aemilian, who ruled for a brief three months in 253. Most likely, she accompanied her husband during his victory over Trebonianus Gallus in Italy. However, the situation soon turned against the imperial couple when Valerian, claiming the purple at the Rhine frontier, marched toward Rome with a formidable force. Aemilian’s soldiers, believing the situation hopeless, turned on their commander and killed him at Spoletium. It remains unclear whether Cornelia Supera shared her husband’s fate or if Valerian spared her. Her coins, however, stand as the only testament to her existence.