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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Roman Coins| ▸ |The Tetrarchy| ▸ |Galeria Valeria||View Options:   | | | Galeria Valeria was the daughter of Emperor Diocletian and the second wife of Emperor Galerius. After her husband's death, she refused a proposal of marriage by Maximinus Daia. Infuriated he ordered her and her mother Prisca exiled to Syria. Diocletian begged Maximinus to allow his beloved daughter and wife to live with him, but Maximinus refused and imprisoned them in Syria. They escaped and wandered for 15 months in search of refuge before being recognized in the city of Saloniki. A mob seized the pair, dragged them to the town square, beheaded them and dumped their bodies in the sea. |
Venus (Aphrodite) can be faulted for the Trojan War. Upset that she was not invited to a wedding, she went anyway and maliciously left a golden apple inscribed "For the fairest" on the banquet table. The goddesses, as Aphrodite expected, argued who was the rightful possessor of this prize. It was determined the most handsome mortal in the world, a noble Trojan youth named Paris, would decide. Each of the three finalists offered Paris a bribe. Hera promised he would rule the world. Athena said she would make him victorious in battle. Aphrodite guaranteed the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. This was Helen, who was married to the king of Sparta. Paris awarded the golden apple to Aphrodite. Aphrodite enabled Paris to elope with Helen, Helen of Troy. Helen's husband raised a Greek army to retrieve his wife, starting the Trojan War.RB32716. Billon follis, Hunter V p. 72, 9 (also 2nd officina); RIC VI Heraclea p. 536, 43; SRCV IV 14593; Cohen VII p. 129, 2, gVF, weight 5.566 g, maximum diameter 27.0 mm, die axis 180o, 2nd officina, Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) mint, c. 309 - 310 A.D.; obverse GAL VALERIA AVG, draped bust right, wearing stephane, hair in looped plait on neck and up back of head; reverse VENERI VICTRICI (to victorious Venus), Venus standing facing, head left, raising apple in right hand, raising drapery over shoulder with left hand, HTB in exergue; SOLD
Venus (Aphrodite) can be faulted for the Trojan War. Upset that she was not invited to a wedding, she went anyway and maliciously left a golden apple inscribed "For the fairest" on the banquet table. The goddesses, as Aphrodite expected, argued who was the rightful possessor of this prize. It was determined the most handsome mortal in the world, a noble Trojan youth named Paris, would decide. Each of the three finalists offered Paris a bribe. Hera promised he would rule the world. Athena said she would make him victorious in battle. Aphrodite guaranteed the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. This was Helen, who was married to the king of Sparta. Paris awarded the golden apple to Aphrodite. Aphrodite enabled Paris to elope with Helen, Helen of Troy. Helen's husband raised a Greek army to retrieve his wife, starting the Trojan War.RT92169. Billon follis, Hunter V p. 74, 32; RIC VI Antiochia p. 639, 151 (S); SRCV IV 14603, Cohen VII 10, Choice gVF, dark red-brown patina, traces of silvering, full border centering, small edge cracks, weight 6.797 g, maximum diameter 23.5 mm, die axis 0o, 8th officina, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, 310 - 311 A.D.; obverse GAL VALERIA AVG, draped bust right, wearing stephane, hair in looped plait on neck and up back of head; reverse VENERI VICTRICI (to victorious Venus), Venus standing left, raising apple in right hand, raising drapery over shoulder with left hand, flaming altar at feet on left, crescent with horns up left, H right, ANT in exergue; ex CNG e-auction 233 (26 May 2010), lot 399; scarce; SOLD
The coins of Galeria from the mint of Cyzikus were all struck in the 4th officina which is indicated by Δ (the Greek numeral 4) in the left field. In these years, the mint issued three groups: the first without a control mark, the second with a star in the right field, and the third with three dots in the right field. But our coin has only one dot. A RIC VI footnote records a similarly marked Licinius from the first officina in the Oxford collection and states it is probably a mint error. Perhaps it was not an error. Perhaps the mint started its third group, marking it with only one dot, then quickly switched to the more distinctive three dots.RB07643. Billon follis, RIC VI Cyzicus p. 590, (C) 71 var. (3 pellets arranged vertically in right field); Hunter V p. 74, 21 var. (same); SRCV IV 14598 var. (same), gVF, well centered, traces of silvering, flow lines, some porosity, Venus' head flatly struck, weight 7.27 g, maximum diameter 27.0 mm, die axis 180o, 4th officina, Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) mint, c. 311 A.D.; obverse GAL VALERIA AVG, draped bust right, wearing stephane, hair in looped plait on neck and up back of head; reverse VENERI VICTRICI (to victorious Venus), Venus standing left, raising apple in right hand, raising drapery over shoulder with left hand, Δ in left field, • in right field, MKV in exergue; from the Scott Collection; very rare variation; SOLD
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