Lot 140
Carausius (AD 286-293) Silver Denarius, RSR, 4.00g.
Ancient, British and World Coins | C24004
Auction: 10 July 2024 at 10:00 BST
Description
IMP CARAVSIVS P F AV, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Carausius facing right. Rev. FELICITAS, galley right, with mast and four rowers, RSR in exergue. (RIC 56o; Sheil 56; Casey pl. 2, 11; RSC 53). Good Very Fine or better. Some edge loss. Darkly toned. Extremely Rare, no others on CoinArchives.
Before his rebellion, Carausius was commander of the channel fleet under the Emperor Diocletian. This role involved protecting shipping in the waters around Britain from Saxon raiders. He was, however, accused of stealing captured Saxon plunder (much of which would have been stolen from Romano-British settlements) for himself, and with a death warrant hanging over him, declared himself emperor and took control of Britain and part of Gaul from the co-Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. He would go on to rule for a further seven years.
The coinage of Carausius' reign is both varied and fascinating. He issued silver denarii in a period of Roman rule which had not seen a high purity silver coinage for nearly a century. This example is of extremely high rarity and bears the design of a war galley with the inscription ‘FELICITAS’ (happiness). The appearance of a Roman vessel seems particularly appropriate for this usurper's rule, given that he was once commander of a Roman fleet. It's also interesting to imagine that this coin may have been minted from the very silver Carausius allegedly stole. It bears the exergue mark ‘RSR’, which is famously a reference to a line from Virgil's Aeneid.
