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ID: |
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38-299 |
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[UNVERIFIED]
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| Type: |
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Roman Imperial |
| Issuer: |
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Avitus |
| Date Ruled: |
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AD 455-456
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| Metal: |
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Gold |
| Denomination: |
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Solidus |
| Struck / Cast: |
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struck |
| Date Struck: |
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AD 455-456 |
| Diameter: |
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21 mm |
| Weight: |
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4.33 g |
| Obverse Legend: |
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DN AVITVS PERP AVG |
| Obverse Description: |
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Rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right |
| Reverse Legend: |
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VICTORI – A AVGGG / A - R |
| Reverse Description: |
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Emperor standing right, holding long cross in right and and Victory on globe in left; resting left foot on captive. In field, A – R and in exergue, COMOB |
| Exergue: |
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COMOB |
| Mint Mark: |
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COMOB |
| Mint: |
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Arles |
| Primary Reference: |
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RIC 2401 |
| Reference2: |
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LRC 875 |
| Reference3: |
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Lacam 4 (this coin) |
| Reference4: |
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Depeyrot 24/1; Kent-Hirmer pl. 193, 759 (this obverse die) |
| Photograph Credit: |
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Numismatic Ars Classica NAC AG |
| Source: |
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http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/ |
| Price Sold For: |
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110000 Swiss Franc |
| Date Sold: |
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03/21/2007 |
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Grade:
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gEF |
| Notes: |
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NAC Auction 38, Lot 299
Extremely rare and in exceptional condition for this difficult issue, undoubtedly one of the
finest specimens known. Unusually well-struck and centred,
good extremely fine / extremely fine
Ex NFA sale XXII, 1989, 166. From the A. Moretti collection.
Like many of Rome’s emperors, Avitus was hailed Augustus outside of Italy. In his case the location was the provincial capital of Arles, and the circumstances were grim. In September, 454 the emperor Valentinian III murdered his magister militum Aëtius, which was repaid by his own murder six months later. Valentinian was replaced by Petronius Maximus, a usurper whose tyranny invited an invasion of Italy by the Vandals, who sacked Rome on June 1. The void in the summer of 455 was considerable: there was no emperor in the West, and every portable item of value in the capital (including royal hostages) had been carted away by the Vandals. It was at this moment that Avitus courageously became emperor of the West. He did so with the support of the Visigothic king Theoderic II, but he only received the consent of the Eastern emperor Marcian later in the year, when he had made his way to Italy. Avitus had strong connections with the Visigothic court at Tolouse, for whom he was serving as an imperial envoy. He also had extensive experience in government and had acquired military experience under Aëtius, one of the most accomplished soldiers of his age.
Without Aëtius to lead the western armies and fleets, Avitus found a new magister militum in Ricimer, who in 456 scored a major victory against the Vandals off the coast of Corsica. The talent of the new commander was a double-edged sword, for Ricimer became the most important man in the West for the next 16 years. Of more direct interest to Avitus was the fact that Ricimer soon deposed him and replaced him with a sequence of puppet emperors. Local circumstances began to weigh against Avitus, including a famine in Rome and the loss of support from the Visigoths, who were occupied with a war against the Suevi in Spain. All the while, the popularity of Ricimer was on the rise because of his follow-up victory over the Vandals. Finally, on October 17, 456, Avitus was deposed by Ricimer, who made him bishop of Piacenza, an appointment he did not long survive.
This solidus was struck at the mint in Arles, which Avitus reopened using workers from Ravenna. Thus, it should not surprise us to see the mint signature of Arles (AR), but the style of Ravenna. Avitus’ strong ties with the Visigoths also resulted in a large production of imitations of his solidi and tremisses, which presumably were struck at Tolouse for distribution among the Visigoths. |
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