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Roman Empire. Tetricus I, 271–274. Aureus 272, AV 3.07g.

Currency:CHF Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Ancient Start Price:24,000.00 CHF Estimated At:30,000.00 CHF
Roman Empire. Tetricus I, 271–274. Aureus 272, AV 3.07g.
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The Roman Empire. Tetricus I, 271–274. Aureus, Treveri or Colonia Summer 272, AV 3.07g. IMP C TETRICVS P F AVG Laureate and cuirassed bust r., with drapery on l. shoulder. Rev. VIRTV–S AVG Virtus seated l. on cuirass, holding branch and sceptre. C 202. RIC 39 var. (no drapery). Schulte 24a (this coin). Calicó 3916 (this coin). Biaggi 1557 (this coin). Very rare. Several light scratches in fields, otherwise good extremely fine. Ex Hess-Leu 9 May 1951, 257 and NAC 49, 2008, 385 sales. From the Biaggi collection. Following the sudden and unexpected murder of Victorinus–a valiant emperor who preserved the Romano-Gallic Empire from disintegration–the political scenario in the western provinces became precarious. Stepping into the void, if we believe the notoriously unreliable Historia Augusta, was Victoria, mother of the slain Victorinus. Through various means she was able to have Tetricus I, who probably was her grandson, hailed emperor at Bordeaux in 271. The once strong and independent empire founded more than a decade ago by Postumus began to split at the seams under Tetricus, who associated his eponymous son with his regime. In 272 the mighty emperor Aurelian returned to Europe after having just brought a much stronger separatist empire in Palmyra to its knees. He then set his sights on recovering the western provinces. Finally, in the spring of 274, the armies of Aurelian and Tetricus met at Ch‚lons-sur-Marne, where the central armies defeated the Gallic legions and the separatist empire was absorbed back into the central empire. Historians have questioned if the battle was legitimate or merely orchestrated based upon an earlier covert agreement by Tetricus to surrender. Afterwards, Tetricus was treated with great honour by Aurelian, who restored his family’s senatorial status and appointed him governor of Lucania, where he is said to have lived to an advanced age.