Roman Imperial Coinage

View Entire Catalogue
(with details of each coin)

View Coins by Emperor
Constantius II
Gallus (Caes.)
Julian II
Valentinian I
Valens
Gratian
Valentinian II
Theodosius I
Arcadius
Honorius
Theodosius II

View Coins by Mint
Trier
Arles
Milan
Sirmium
Constantinople
Nicomedia
Antioch

Appendix
Roman Imperial Coinage
Political Climate of the Late Empire
The Lineages of the Augusti
Notes on Obverse Types
Numismatic Graffiti
Bibliography

For the most part, we don’t look at our currency today. This is largely the result of the fact that the coin designs rarely change. Our different mints produce almost identical version of the major four denominations, and the only variation from coin to coin is found on the mint mark and the date. Modern minting technology has given us means to issue coins with almost absolute uniformity.

In antiquity, the design of money was much more dynamic and of far greater importance. Each coin was struck by hand, and each die individually crafted. Thus the number of dies and engravers was relatively large, and the issues diverse. Mints were spread across the empire, and designs specified by the emperor and sent to the various mints under his control.

The period was one in which there were no mass media and few avenues for communication between the emperors and the populace. Coins were able to serve this purpose, in their own limited way, and were thus used to convey news and propaganda.

Each could bear two brief inscriptions and two
images, and could be expected to pass

through the hands of nearly all citizens. When a new Augustus or emperor took the throne, coins would be issued to announce the occasion. Often coins would announce the success of military campaigns, building projects, or would portray one or another personified civic virtue.

That is to say that the coin could be made to convey almost any message that the ruler desired, but most common were those relation to religion and social values, as well as military and political news.

One particularly interesting example of such propaganda concerns Procopius the Usurper, who attempted to establish himself as emperor around 365, during the rein of Valens:

The ancient historian Amminanus writes -

Certain men chosen for their foolhardy daring were sent to take possession of Illyricum; these set out relying on no other aid than their impudence, using for their purpose gold pieces bearing the image of the new emperor, Procopius. But the military commander in that region seized them and put them to death in various ways. Ammianus XXVI.7.11