Carausius, Romano-British Emperor, 286-293. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 3.73 g, 6 h), Londinium (?), circa 287-289. IMP CARAVSIVS P F AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Carausius to right. Rev. RENOVAT ROMAN / RSR She-wolf standing right, head facing, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus. Cohen -. RIC 571. Shiel 67. Webb 627. Rare. Struck on excellent silver and with a splendid portrait. Minor weakness and with a flan fault on the obverse, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.


When Carausius declared himself emperor in Gaul and Britain in 286, he soon began to produce denarii in good silver, a sight practically unseen in the Roman Empire for nearly half a century. Some of these coins carry the enigmatic control of 'RSR' in the exergue. G. de la Bédoyère (Carausius and the Marks RSR and I.N.P.C.D.A., in: NC 158 (1998), pp. 79-88) argued that this likely stands for Redeunt Saturnia Regna ('The Reign of Saturn Returns'), a quote from Vergil's Fourth Eclogue (IV.6). By invoking Vergilian imagery, and with coin types referencing Rome's foundation or the empire's restoration, Carausius sought to present his reign as the dawn of a new Golden Age for the Roman world.