ROMAN COINS OF THE MID-THIRD CENTURY
    The 3rd century was basically 100 years of war for Rome.  Stumbling from crisis to crisis, spending money like water, experiencing failure after failure, getting frustrated and murdering their leaders, revolts becoming more common, people continually ending up worse than they started, looking for some ray of hope in the gathering darkness, and what did they find?  Well?
    The main coin of this period was the "antoninianus," named after Caracalla, whose name that actually was, and who had inaugurated the coin as a double denarius.  It was born aa an inflationary cheater coin, a bit light, and through its career got baser and lighter until it became a small, poorly controlled goober with almost no silver at all.

ROMAN EMPIRE, Maximinus I, 235-238 AD, silver denarius, SR-8312, Maximinus standing L between 2 standards, P M TR P II COS P P, Rome, 236 AD, AU $225.00 sold
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Maximinus I, 235-238 AD, silver denarius, SR-8315, Providence standing L, PROVIDENTIA AVG, Rome, 235 AD, VF $61.00 sold
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259-77. ROMAN EMPIRE, Maximinus I, 235-238 AD, silver denarius, SR-8315, Providence standing L, PROVIDENTIA AVG, Rome, 235 AD, VF $61.00 sold 1/30/2008
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Gordian III, 238-244, silver antoninianus, SR-8604, Concord seated L, CONCORDIA AVG, coin is much brighter than the picture, XF $40.00 sold
 
 
 
 
 
 

ROMAN EMPIRE, Gordian III, 238-244, silver antoninianus, SR-8637, emperor standing L sacrificing, PM TR P II COS PP, Rome, 239 AD, F/VF $36.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Gordian III, 238-244, silver antoninianus, SR-8646, emperor standing R with spear & globe, PM TR P IIII COS II PP, Rome, 241 AD, aVF $35.00 sold 8/6/2008
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Gordian III, 238-244, silver antoninianus, SR-8655, Providence standing L holding globe & transverse scepter, PROVIDENTIA AVG, Rome, 238 AD, F $28.00
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27137. ROMAN EMPIRE, Philip I, 244-249 AD, silver antoninianus, SR-8976, Philip & son riding R, VIRTVS AVGG, Rome, 248, F $41.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Otacilia Severa, wife of Philip I, 244-249 AD, silver antoninianus, SR-9147, Concord seated L, CONCORDIA AVGG, Rome, 245-7 AD, XF $65.00 sold
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Otacilia Severa, wife of Philip I, 244-249 AD, silver antoninianus, SR-9159, Pudicitia seated L, PVDICITIA AVG, Rome, 244-5 AD, XF/VF $41.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Otacilia Severa, wife of Philip I, 244-249 AD, silver antoninianus, SR-9159, Pudicitia seated L, PVDICITIA AVG, Rome, 244-5 AD, double struck, aF $31.00 sold 1/12/2008
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Philip II, Caesar, 244-247 AD, silver antoninianus, SR-9242, Philip standing L holding ready spear & globe, PRINCIPI IVVENT, Rome, 245 AD, F $42.00 sold 1/12/2008
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Trajan Decius, 249-251 AD, silver antoninianus, SR-9364, Abundance standing R emptying cornucopia, ABVNDANTIA AVG, (Rome, 250-251 AD), XF-AU $45.00 sold
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Trajan Decius, 249-251 AD, silver antoninianus, SR-9368, Dacia standing L holding wolf head standard, DACIA, Rome, 250 AD), XF+ $94.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Herennia Etruscilla, 249-251 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-9494, Pudicitia standing L, PVDICITIA AVG, Rome, 250 AD, XF $43.00 sold 1/12/2008
 
 
 
 
 
 

ROMAN EMPIRE, Herennia Etruscilla, 249-251 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-9494, Pudicitia standing L, PVDICITIA AVG, Rome, 250 AD, F+/aVG $36.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Herennius Etruscus, Caesar, 250-51 AD, silver antoninianus, SR-9526, Spes advancing L, SPES PVBLICA, Rome, 250-251 AD, VF $74.00 sold 1/30/2008
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Trebonianus Gallus, 251-253 AD, brass sestertius, SR-9674, Liberty stg L, LIBERTAS AVGG, SC, Rome, 251 AD, bit of double striking, VF+ $225.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Volusian, 251-253 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-9763, emperor sacrificing L, PM TR P IIII COS II, Rome, 253 AD, VF $41.00
 
 
 
 
 
 

ROMAN EMPIRE, Volusian, 251-253 AD, bronze sestertius, SR-9785, Concord seated L, CONCORDIA AVGG, SC, Rome, 252 AD, nice portrait, few small pits rev., VF / aVF $175.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Valerian, 253-60, billon antoninianus, SR-9994v, radiate bust R, VALERIANVS P F AVG / Virtus standing L, VIRTVS AVGG,  Rome, 253 AD, VF $31.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Mariniana, wife of Valerian, billon antoninianus, SR-10070, peacock with folded tail R, CONSECRATIO, Rome, 253-254 AD, lightly pitted obv., crude F $75.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Mariniana, wife of Valerian, bronze sestertius, SR-10073, veiled & diademed bust R, DIVAE MARINIANAE / peacock facing, CONSECRATIO, SC, Rome, 253-254 AD, small, oblong planchet, excellent portrait, VF $375.00 sold
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Gallienus, 253-268 AD, billon antoninianus, antoninianus, SR-10164, Abundance standing R, ABVNDANTIA AVG, Rome, 265-7 AD, officina 2, some silvering, mostly dark gray, VF+ $26.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Gallienus, 253-268 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-10199, doe R, DIANAE CONS AVG, Rome, 267 AD, crude VF $22.00 sold 5/9/2008
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Gallienus, 253-268 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-10292, hippocamp R, NEPTVNO CONS AVG, M (officina 8), Rome 267 AD, F $25.00 sold 5/9/2008
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Postumus, 260-269 AD, bronze double sestertius, SR-11049, bust R / galley L, LAETITIA AVG, SC, Cologne, 261 AD, nice portrait, scratch-like dent or flaw in beard, partial obv. legends, rev. unfortunate, VF+/aG $250.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Aurelian, 270-75 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-11572, Sol standing L between seated captives, ORIENS AVG, S, Serdica, 274 AD, VF+ $35.00 sold 10/5/2007
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Severina, wife of Aurelian, 270-275 AD, billon antoninianus., SR-11701, Concord seated L, CONCORD MILIT/B.L, well struck both sides, few tiny adhesions, AU $75.00 sold
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Vabalathus, 270 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-11718, bust R / bust R, Antioch, officina 7, aF $48.00
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Probus, 276-282 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-11953, Emperor on horse L, captive seated before, ADVENTVS AVG, RIZ, officina 7, Rome, 278-80, F $16.00
 
 
 
 
 
 

ROMAN EMPIRE, Probus, 276-282 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-11953, Emperor on horse L, captive seated before, ADVENTVS AVG, R-thunderbolt-Z, officina 7, Rome, 278-80, aVF $26.50
 
 
 
 
 
 

ROMAN EMPIRE, Carinus, Caesar, 282-283 AD, billon antoninianus, SR-3454v, Carinus standing L holding globe & spear, captive at feet, PRINCIPI IVVENTVT, VF $41.00
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