Aurelian, 270-275. Aureus (Gold, 21 mm, 4.75 g, 12 h), Siscia, October-November 270. IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Aurelian to right, seen from behind. Rev. VIRTVS AVGVSTI Trophy between two seated and bound captives, the one on the left looking up at trophy. Calicó 4054. CBN 674. Cohen 278. Estiot, L'or romain I, 98c (this coin, D67/R83). RIC 99 corr. ('Mediolanum'). RIC V online 1907.4 (this coin). Very rare. Beautifully toned and with an important pedigree. Plugged hole at 12 o'clock and with light scratches and traces of mounting, otherwise, good very fine.




Despite the repaired hole, this is an exceptionally desirable coin, featuring a striking portrait and being one of the earliest issues of Aurelian, struck immediately following his assumption of power after the death of Claudius II. Additionally, it once belonged to the world-renowned numismatist and archaeologist, Sir Arthur J. Evans (1851-1941), best known for his excavations at Knossos in Crete and for transforming the Ashmolean Museum into a premier institution for art and archaeology. The museum’s exceptional collection of Minoan artifacts, which Evans donated, remains the finest outside of Crete.

This aureus, with its finely detailed portrait of Aurelian, was struck at Siscia, one of the two or three locations believed to be Aurelian’s birthplace. On the reverse, the coin depicts a military trophy flanked by two seated, bound captives. These captives are almost certainly Goths, whom Aurelian had defeated shortly before Claudius's death. He resettled the survivors along Rome’s eastern frontier and incorporated the able-bodied men into Rome's auxiliaries.