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RIC IV Trajan Decius 223A

DocumentedSupported by at least one credible specialist source.

Record status

Individual type · research required

Period

AD 251

Issuing entity

Roman Empire

Maker / issuer

Rome (ancient mint)

Sestertius in bronze struck at Rome under Hostilian, AD 251, catalogued as RIC IV Trajan Decius 223A. Obverse: Bust of Hostilian, laureate, draped, cuirassed, right.

Reverse: Roma, helmeted, draped, seated left on spoils, holding Victory in right hand and spear in left hand; at feet, shield. Obverse legend: IMP CAE C VAL HOS MES QVINTVS AVG. Reverse legend: ROMAE AETERNAE S C.

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

Hostilian, born Gaius Valens Hostilianus Messius Quintus, was the son of Roman Emperor Decius and Herennia Etruscilla. Decius elevated him to caesar in 250. Following the deaths of Decius and Hostilian's brother Herennius Etruscus at the Battle of Abritus in 251, Trebonianus Gallus was proclaimed emperor and elevated Hostilian to co-emperor. Hostilian died shortly afterwards, around July 251, from the plague or murder.

Physical characteristics

Material
Bronze
Manufacture
Struck
Denomination
Sestertius

Technical characteristics

Mint
Rome
Issuing authority
Hostilian

Design

Obverse type
Bust of Hostilian, laureate, draped, cuirassed, right
Reverse type
Roma, helmeted, draped, seated left on spoils, holding Victory in right hand and spear in left hand; at feet, shield
Obverse legend
IMP CAE C VAL HOS MES QVINTVS AVG
Reverse legend
ROMAE AETERNAE S C

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.
Type corpus record
https://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.4.tr_d.223A
Catalogue reference
RIC IV Trajan Decius 223A
Type corpus identifier
ric.4.tr_d.223A
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

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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