Please add updates or make corrections to the NumisWiki text version as appropriate.

   VALENS (Aurelius Valerius) an officer upon whom Licinius I bestowed the title of Caesar after the battle of Cibalis in A.D. 314, and who was soon after put to death when Licinius concluded a peace with Constantine, who stipulated positively for his abdication. The following coin is from the Ennery Catalogue - IMP. C. AVR. VAL. VALENS P. F. AVG. Head laureated. Rev. IOVI CONSERVATORI AVGG. Jupiter holding Victory and sceptre; at his feet an eagle, in the field to l., A.; to r. a crown and XA.; in the exergue ALE. (Alexandriae). It is not above suspicion, especially as it is not certain that Valens ever received any higher title than that of Caesar.

   VALENS (Flavius), the brother of Valentinian I., was born in A.D. 328, and made Emperor of the East by his brother in A.D. 364. After the death of the usurper Procopius [PROCOPIVS] in A.D. 366, he was engaged in war for several years with the Goths, who eventually sued for peace, and with Sapor, king of Persia, who came to terms with Valens not very advantageous to the Romans. About A.D. 376-377 the Goths, to the number of 200,000, appeared on the banks of the Danube and asked for permission to enter Roman territory, which was granted on certain conditions. They soon spread over the country, and Valens met them at Hadrianople. Here the Roman army was defeated and Valens was wounded, either dying on the field, or, as some say, being burnt alive in the house of a peasant, where he had taken refuge, A.D. 378.

   The money issued by Valens consisted of gold and silver medallions, gold and silver coins, and first, second, and third brass coins. It is during his reign, if we except the large medallion of Constantine II [GAVDIVM ROMANORVM], that the enormous gold medallions now preserved in the Musée de Vienne, first appear (Cohen, Méd. Imp., vol. vi, pp. 408-410, Nos. 1, 6, 7, 8-10). They seem to have been decorations or recompenses for services rather than money. The obverse legend of the coins of Valens is D. N. VALENS MAX. AVGVSTVS, or D. N. VALENS P. or PER. F. AVG.; the principal reverse legends on the gold medallions are D. N. VALENS VICTOR SEMPER AVG. Valens with nimbus in a car drawn by six horses; on either side Victory; in exergue RM=Romae (2000 frcs.), FELIX ADVENTVS AVGG. (400 frcs.), PIETAS DDD. NNN. AVGVSTORVM, Valentinianus I., with nimbus standing between Valens and Valentinian II., in exergue TESOB=Thessalonicae 72 (1500 frcs.); on the silver medallions RESTITVTOR REIP., or REIPVBLICAE (40 to 1800 frcs.), SALVS REIPVBLICAE (40 to 1800 frcs.), TRIVMFATOR GENT. BARB. (300 frcs.), VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM (40 frcs.), VICTORIA D. N. AVGVSTI (1200 frcs.), VIRTVS EXERCITVS (40 frcs.), VOTIS V MVLTIS X to VOTIS XV MVLTIS XX (40 frcs.); on the gold coins, GLORIA ROMANORVM, Rome and Constantinople seated holding a shield surmonted by (chi-ro) and on which is VOT. X. MVL. XX (30 frcs.); same legend, Valens standing holding mappa and sceptre; in field P (100 frcs.); another type, Valens on horseback (100 frcs.), PAX PERPETVA (tremissis 50 frcs.), RESTITVTOR or SALVS or SECVRITAS REIP. or REIPVBLICAE (25 to 40 frcs.). SPES R. P. Valens and Valentinian with nimbus seated, between them a shield inscribed VOT. V. MVL X. placed on the head of a small figure (? Valentinian II.) in toga (80 frcs.), VICTORES AVGVSTI, VICTORIA AVGG. or AVGVSTI N. or D. N. AVG. or AVGVSTORVM (26 to 60 frcs.), VIRTVS ROMANORVM (50 frcs.), VOTA PVBLICA (100 frcs.); on the silver coins, RESTITVTOR REIP. or REIPVBLICAE (8 to 10 frcs.), VRBS ROMA (3 frcs.); on the brass coins, GLORIA ROMANORVM (c), MONETA AVGG. (60 to 80 frcs.), RESTITVTOR or SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE (c to 100 frcs.), VICTORIA DD. NN. AVG. (10 to 15 frcs.) VOTA PVBLICA, with types of Isis, Anubis, Harpocrates, and the Nile (40 to 60 frcs.) VOT. V. MVLT. X to VOT. XX. MVLT. XXX. (10 frcs.)

   Valens. The giant Valens is represented on silver coins of Valeria gens (De Witte, Rev. Num., 1849, pp. 325-349) [VALERIA GENS.]