Owner Comments:
To the casual observer, this coin appears to be a standard military issue of the Emperor Maximian, likely celebrating his pacification of Gaul in 285 AD. The reverse features PAX (Peace), a fitting motif for the man who had just crushed the Bagaudae peasant revolt, and a type frequently struck at Maximian's primary western mint of Lugdunum. However, something is wrong. The portrait is too rugged, the neck too thick, and the artistry lacks the refined, classical elegance typical of the master engravers at Lugdunum. And then there is the smoking gun: the letter C in exergue on the reverse, indicating the mint city of Camulodunum.
This coin was not struck by Maximian in Gaul. It was struck by his enemy, the usurper Carausius, in Britannia.
This is a masterclass in numismatic diplomacy. After seizing Britannia and fending off Maximian’s initial invasion attempt, the usurper Carausius found himself in a stalemate. He controlled the North Sea, but he craved legitimacy. He didn't want to destroy the Roman Empire; he wanted to join it. In a futile attempt to prove his loyalty and pressure the mainland Emperors into recognizing him, Carausius began striking coins in the names of Diocletian and Maximian at his own mints.
The reverse design, PA [X] AVGG, is the key to the message. Pax (Peace) holds an olive branch, the universal symbol of truce. But the grammar is even more important: AVGG ends with two 'G's, indicating multiple Augusti. Understandably, Carausius was eager to offer peace with the official co-Augusti Maximian and Diocletian. On his later coinage, Carausius even uses the reverse inscription PAX AVGGG, explicitly inviting himself into the imperial college in a desperate attempt to promote peace and unity.
Predictably, the feeling was not mutual.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Maximianus. Antoninianus (22mm, 4.02 g, 6h). ‘C’ mint. Struck under Carausius, circa AD 286, NGC Grade: Ch XF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5, IMP C M A VAL MAXIMIANVS P AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right / PA [X] AVGG, Pax standing left, holding olive branch and vertical scepter; S|P//C. RIC V –; Bourne –.
Image: NGC Photo Vision Plus.