Salonina Antoninianus — The Empress Who Witnessed Rome's Greatest Crisis

Own a Bronze Coin from the Empress Who Witnessed the Roman Empire Nearly Collapse Around Her

A real Roman bronze antoninianus of Salonina—wife of Gallienus, mother of imperial heirs, and empress through fifteen years of invasion, civil war, plague, and political upheaval during the Crisis of the Third Century.

From $37.27

✓ NGC Certified
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📷 Coin shown is a representative example. You will receive one authentic NGC-certified antoninianus of Salonina. Each coin is unique and will vary in grade, strike, centering, preservation, patina, silvering, and individual appearance.

👑 Issued during the reign of Salonina, Augusta throughout Gallienus's fifteen-year struggle to preserve the Roman Empire during its greatest crisis
🏛 Features the portrait of one of Rome's longest-serving Crisis-era empresses alongside reverse designs celebrating harmony, prosperity, and divine protection
🤲 An NGC-certified antoninianus from the years when Rome nearly came apart—and somehow endured

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

Few Roman empresses witnessed more turmoil than Salonina.

She became Augusta when her husband Gallienus and his father Valerian I jointly ruled the Roman Empire beginning in AD 253. Within a few years, the empire faced an unprecedented series of disasters. Plague spread across the provinces, Gothic invasions threatened the Balkans, the eastern frontier collapsed under Persian attack, and rival emperors appeared across the Roman world.

In AD 260, catastrophe struck.

Valerian I was captured alive by the Sasanian king Shapur I, becoming the only Roman emperor ever taken prisoner by a foreign enemy. At nearly the same time, Salonina's young son Saloninus, stationed in Cologne, was proclaimed emperor during the revolt of Postumus. When the city fell, Saloninus was executed, and the Gallic Empire broke away from Roman control.

The losses continued.

Another son, Valerian II, had already died while serving in the Balkans, leaving Salonina to endure repeated personal tragedies while her husband struggled to preserve what remained of the empire.

Despite the chaos, Gallienus introduced important military reforms that later allowed emperors such as Claudius II, Aurelian, Probus, and Diocletian to restore Roman strength. During his reign, official persecution of Christians also ended, inaugurating a period of relative religious toleration. Some historians have suggested that Salonina herself may have encouraged the more moderate atmosphere at court, although direct evidence remains limited.

In AD 268, Gallienus was assassinated during the siege of Milan. After fifteen years as empress through Rome's darkest century, Salonina disappears from the historical record.

This authentic bronze antoninianus circulated through every stage of that remarkable reign. More than an ancient coin, it is a tangible connection to an empress who witnessed the Roman Empire survive against overwhelming odds.

Perfect For

• Collectors of Crisis of the Third Century coinage
• Students of Roman imperial history
• Enthusiasts of Roman empresses and Gallienus
• NGC-certified ancient coin collectors
• Anyone looking for a meaningful and historically significant gift

What You'll Receive

• One authentic Roman bronze antoninianus of Salonina
• Civilization: Roman Empire
• Ruler: Salonina (Augusta, AD 253–268)
• Denomination: Antoninianus (bronze with original silver wash often partially preserved)
• NGC certified for authenticity and preservation
• Presented in an NGC holder
• Representative example of the type (each coin is unique)

Continue the Story

Salonina's reign unfolded during the most turbulent generation in Roman history. As empress, she witnessed foreign invasions, political fragmentation, plague, the loss of two sons, and the capture of an emperor by Persia—yet the empire endured. Her portrait survives on coins like this one, preserving the image of a woman who stood beside one of Rome's most resilient emperors during its greatest crisis.

Explore our other Roman, Byzantine, Biblical, Greek, medieval, and world coin collections to continue your journey through the rulers, civilizations, and events that changed history.

Buy with Confidence

• NGC certified for authenticity and preservation
• Carefully sourced and verified
• 30-day return policy
• Secure shipping from the U.S.

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Learn More

Continue the story in the Kinzer Coins Journal: Salonina Coins: Empress of Gallienus During Rome's Third-Century Crisis.