Kinzer Coins

Ancient Roman Bronze Coin from Crisis of Third Century - Issued by Aureolus for Emperor Postumus

Name: Ancient Roman Bronze Coin from Crisis of Third Century - Issued by Aureolus for Emperor Postumus
Brand: Kinzer Coins
Price: 140.4 USD
Availability: InStock

Ancient Roman Bronze Coin from Crisis of Third Century - Issued by Aureolus for Emperor Postumus

$140.40 USD

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Own a Rebellion Bronze — Struck by a Roman General in Italy Bearing a Rival Emperor's Portrait

A real bronze of Aureolus striking in the name of Postumus — one of the most unusual coins of the entire Crisis era, minted in northern Italy by a rebel cavalry commander who chose to declare loyalty to the Gallic Empire rather than proclaim himself emperor, and paid for that gamble with his life. NGC certified.

✓ NGC Certified
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⚔️ Struck by Aureolus — Gallienus's own senior cavalry commander — bearing the portrait of Postumus of the Gallic Empire in a bold proxy rebellion from northern Italy
🏛 Reverse carries Gallic Empire imagery — struck not in Gaul but in Aureolus's Italian mints during his revolt, making this one of the most geographically anomalous coins of the Crisis era
🤲 Struck in AD 268 — the year Gallienus was assassinated, Aureolus was defeated at Milan, and the most dramatic proxy rebellion of the Third Century collapsed. NGC certified.

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

In AD 268, Aureolus was one of the most powerful military officers in the Roman world — commander of the cavalry force that Gallienus had built as his mobile strike reserve, the instrument through which the emperor responded to crises across the empire's battered frontiers. He had served Gallienus faithfully for years. Then he rebelled.

What makes his rebellion extraordinary is the choice he made about how to conduct it. Rather than proclaiming himself emperor — the standard move for a powerful general with a loyal army — Aureolus struck coins bearing the portrait of Postumus, ruler of the independent Gallic Empire in the west. He was declaring himself the Italian extension of the Gallic breakaway state, hoping that Postumus would send military support and that together they could destroy Gallienus between them. It was a calculated gamble based on the fluid, opportunistic alliance politics that defined the Crisis era.

The gamble failed on multiple levels. Postumus — who had consistently refused to march on Rome even when he had the strength to do so — sent no assistance. Gallienus moved to besiege Aureolus at Milan. Then, during that very siege, Gallienus was assassinated by his own officers — including, according to some sources, in a conspiracy that may have involved Aureolus himself. The new emperor Claudius II had no interest in rewarding rebellion. He defeated Aureolus, captured him, and had him executed. The coins Aureolus had struck bearing Postumus's portrait — produced in Italian mints but carrying Gallic imperial imagery — remain as one of the most unusual and historically specific artifacts of the entire Third Century Crisis. Certified by NGC.

Perfect for:

Collectors of Crisis of the Third Century, Gallic Empire, and Roman rebel bronze coinage
History lovers drawn to Aureolus, the proxy rebellion, and the most complex loyalties of Rome's most chaotic era
Unusual mint attribution, Postumus portrait Italian mint, and NGC certified Crisis-era bronze enthusiasts
Anyone seeking one of the most historically specific and unusual coins of the entire Third Century Crisis