Gallienus, 253-268. Small Medallion (Gilt Bronze, 22 mm, 4.82 g, 11 h), an 'offstrike' from aureus dies. Siscia, circa 266-267. GALLIENVS AVG Head of Gallienus to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. PACATOR ORBIS Radiate and draped bust of Sol to right. Cohen -. Gnecchi -. MIR -. RIC -. Toynbee -. Apparently unpublished save for its previous auction appearance. A beautiful small medallion with intricate iconography. Very minor traces of corrosion, otherwise, about extremely fine.

Among the remarkably diverse coinage of Gallienus, this piece undoubtedly ranks as one of the most striking discoveries of recent decades. The gilt small medallion combines, on its obverse, a Herculean bust of the emperor with a reverse depicting the sun god Sol as Pacator Orbis - Bringer of Peace to the World. The association of Roman emperors with Hercules has a long iconographic tradition, reaching a peak with Commodus, who famously styled himself as Hercules Romanus. Gallienus, too, embraced this imagery - quite fittingly, given his circumstances, since after the capture of his father by the Sassanids, amidst widespread usurpations and the secession of the so-called Gallic Empire, he indeed faced a challenge of Herculean proportions. It is noteworthy that his main rival, the ‘Gallic’ emperor Postumus, likewise grounded his visual propaganda in the imagery of the divine hero. What sets this piece apart from the rest of Gallienus’ coinage, however, is its highly unusual reverse type: Sol portrayed as Pacator Orbis, a bringer of peace. The design clearly echoes a Severan prototype from 207 (see Lot 456 above). In the context of the deep political and military crises of the 260s, such iconography may seem almost anachronistic. As with many of the political messages of the barracks emperors, however, this imagery was likely intended not to reflect the present reality, but to offer a promise for the future. Strikingly, Postumus would adopt the same motif toward the end of his reign - a choice that, given the fractured state of the empire, must have seemed ironic even to contemporaries. So what exactly are we looking at? The piece is elaborately made of gilt bronze, a technique that suggests highly specialized production, likely intended for a particular occasion. Intriguingly, it was struck with the same obverse die as an aureus celebrating Fides Militum (MIR pl. 105, 1433g). A bronze offstrike from the same series, bearing a conventional right-facing imperial bust, is also known (MIR pl. 105, 1433f). This indicates that the present small medallion was not an isolated production, but part of a broader special issue struck in Siscia around 266-267. Here, numismatic terminology becomes somewhat imprecise: given that it was struck from a gold die (or dies, if the type was also minted in solid gold), the piece might technically be classified as an offstrike. However, the elaborate gilding clearly distinguishes it from a simple trial piece, an observation that it shares with the preceding magnificent 'denarius' (see Lot 471 above). For this reason, we prefer the term small medallion from gold dies. Whether such objects were distributed as keepsakes to ordinary soldiers remains uncertain. That said, the comparison with silvered antoniniani - whose surface treatment created the illusion of higher silver content - is tempting. Yet the craftsmanship of this piece, both in its gilding and overall finish, far surpasses that of any standard antoninianus. Taken together - the quality of its production, its distinctive iconography, and the fact that only a single example is known to survive - these observations strongly suggest that this was part of a very limited and exceptionally refined special issue