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Orbis Collectibles

RIC X Avitus 2403

DocumentedSupported by at least one credible specialist source.

Record status

Individual type · research required

Period

AD 455–AD 456

Issuing entity

Roman Empire

Solidus in gold struck at Mediolanum under Avitus, AD 455–AD 456, catalogued as RIC X Avitus 2403. Obverse: Bust of Avitus, bearded, rosette-diademed, draped, cuirassed, right.

Reverse: Avitus, draped, cuirassed, standing right, holding long cross in right hand and Victory on globe in left hand; treading down a prostrate captive with left foot. Obverse legend: D N AVITVS - PERP F AVG. Reverse legend: VICTORI-A AVGGG.

Evidence at a glance

Linked sources
2
Photograph views
2
Catalogue references
1

Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.

Historical context

Eparchius Avitus served as Western Roman emperor from July 455 until October 456, following the sack of Rome by the Vandals. A senator of Gallic origin, he relied on an alliance with the Visigothic king Theodoric II, though his appointments of Gallic senators alienated the senatorial aristocracy in Rome before rebel Roman generals deposed him. This gold solidus was struck between AD 455 and AD 456 at Mediolanum, an important city in Northern Italy that had previously served as imperial capital under Maximian.

Physical characteristics

Material
Gold
Manufacture
Struck
Denomination
Solidus

Technical characteristics

Mint
Mediolanum
Issuing authority
Avitus

Design

Obverse type
Bust of Avitus, bearded, rosette-diademed, draped, cuirassed, right
Reverse type
Avitus, draped, cuirassed, standing right, holding long cross in right hand and Victory on globe in left hand; treading down a prostrate captive with left foot
Obverse legend
D N AVITVS - PERP F AVG
Reverse legend
VICTORI-A AVGGG

Identification

How to identify
RIC separates types by mint and officina marks, obverse legend and bust form, and reverse legend and type; check the exergue and field marks against the RIC number before accepting a match. 1 near-identical catalogue variant is consolidated into this entry.
Type corpus record
https://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.10.av_w.2403
Catalogue reference
RIC X Avitus 2403
Type corpus identifier
ric.10.av_w.2403
Source note
The type record is Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE), the American Numismatic Society's digital edition of Roman Imperial Coinage.

Documentation checklist

Denomination
Recorded
Issue or mint date
Recorded
Material
Recorded
Weight
Research required
Mint or printer
Recorded
Mint or printer mark
Research required
Catalogue reference
Recorded
Attached photograph (check rights)
Recorded

Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.

Catalogue references

Varieties

  • RIC X Avitus 2401

    Near-identical catalogue variant (same obverse and reverse legends, type and denomination, differing only in minor marks or bust detail); consolidated into this entry.

Research required

  • Nominal weight not transcribed from a primary reference
  • Diameter and die axis not transcribed
  • Mint mark and officina detail not transcribed
  • No rights-cleared photograph identified yet
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