Live Bidding Sunday 14th June 2026 05:00:00 PM CET
Celtic Coins (1-3)
Greek Coins (4-22)
Roman Provincial Coins (23-26)
Roman Republican Coins (27-28)
Roman Imperial Coins (29-263)
Migration Period (264-264)
Aurelianus Invictus
AURELIAN (270-275). Antoninianus. Serdica.
Obv: IMP C L D AVRELIANVS INVICTVS AVG.
Radiate and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: RESTITVT ORBIS / (star) / KA•Γ•.
Female figure, holding wreath, and Aurelian, holding sceptre, standing facing one another.
RIC V online 2797 (4 specimens).
Very rare
On this Antoninianus, the epithet ‘Invictus’ appears in its rare full form. In 274, Aurelian introduced the cult of Sol Invictus in Rome, seeking to impose it as the state religion. He built a sanctuary in the Campus Agrippae dedicated to this god and proclaimed, for the first time in the West, 25 December as a festive day in honour of the new god: the “Dies Natalis Solis Invicti”. The emperor himself declared his role as the supreme priest, claiming that his power had been granted to him directly by the god, thereby establishing the regal practice of asserting the right to the throne by divine grace. The festival of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti gradually grew in importance as it merged with, and ultimately replaced, the older Roman festival, the Saturnalia. Aurelian was fresh from his victory over Queen Zenobia of the Kingdom of Palmyra, achieved in part thanks to the support of troops from the Syrian city of Emesa: at the start of the decisive battle, the emperor claimed to have had an auspicious vision of Sol, who was worshipped in Emesa. Aurelian saw the adoption of the cult of Sol Invictus as a powerful force for cultural and political cohesion within the Empire, given that, in various forms, sun worship was already present in many regions of the empire.
Condition: Near extremely fine.
Weight: 3.48 g.
Diameter: 24 mm.
Estimate: € 500
Obv: IMP C L D AVRELIANVS INVICTVS AVG.
Radiate and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: RESTITVT ORBIS / (star) / KA•Γ•.
Female figure, holding wreath, and Aurelian, holding sceptre, standing facing one another.
RIC V online 2797 (4 specimens).
Very rare
On this Antoninianus, the epithet ‘Invictus’ appears in its rare full form. In 274, Aurelian introduced the cult of Sol Invictus in Rome, seeking to impose it as the state religion. He built a sanctuary in the Campus Agrippae dedicated to this god and proclaimed, for the first time in the West, 25 December as a festive day in honour of the new god: the “Dies Natalis Solis Invicti”. The emperor himself declared his role as the supreme priest, claiming that his power had been granted to him directly by the god, thereby establishing the regal practice of asserting the right to the throne by divine grace. The festival of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti gradually grew in importance as it merged with, and ultimately replaced, the older Roman festival, the Saturnalia. Aurelian was fresh from his victory over Queen Zenobia of the Kingdom of Palmyra, achieved in part thanks to the support of troops from the Syrian city of Emesa: at the start of the decisive battle, the emperor claimed to have had an auspicious vision of Sol, who was worshipped in Emesa. Aurelian saw the adoption of the cult of Sol Invictus as a powerful force for cultural and political cohesion within the Empire, given that, in various forms, sun worship was already present in many regions of the empire.
Condition: Near extremely fine.
Weight: 3.48 g.
Diameter: 24 mm.
Estimate: € 500
Watch:
Starting price:
€ 400
B.P.: 18.90%
Closing on: 2026-06-14 16:00:00 Roma time