Maximus Caesar - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,412
Bing Pillar of the Community United States 4253 Posts	Posted 11/12/2011 12:14 am In the years I have been collecting Roman Imperial coins, I have been struck by the lack of Maximus coins available for sale. On Vcoins one can find a few but never very many. I would assume this is because of the short period of time he was named Caesar 235-238 AD. However, his father, Maximinus Thrax, was only Augustus for the same time period, but coins of his are in abundance. I am sure the father, being in the more senior position, would mint more coins than the son. However, this doesn't explain the lack of coins for Maximus. Does anyone have any insight? Here is my lone Maximus. It is a Sestertius, RIC 9: OBV: MAXIMVS CAES GERM - Bare-headed, draped bust right. REV: PRINCIPIIVVENTVTIS - Maximus standing left, holding baton and spear, two standards behind 18.3g, 28.5mm Report this Post to the Staff

VisigothKing Pillar of the Community United States 4778 Posts	Posted 11/12/2011 01:09 am Whoa, nice coin! As far as why Maximus's dad got more coins minted of him, I would agree with your theory, since it would make sense (and also since I don't really know anything about them). Again, nice coin and thanks for sharing. Report this Post to the Staff
VisigothKing Pillar of the Community United States 4778 Posts	Posted 11/12/2011 01:18 am Well now that I read about his bio on Wikipedia and him and his son's executions, maybe there was some sort of damnatio memoriae against them afterwards, and that extended to coins of them. Probably there were many, many coins minted of Thrax, and a lot of coins (but not as much as his father's coins) of Maximus. Damnatio memoriae happened, and coins of both were pulled out of circulation. Father had more coins, more of them survived. His son's coins, less and as a result of many of them being pulled, less survived. I know I'm probably going out on a limb, but that's my theory anyway. Edited by VisigothKing 11/12/2011 01:20 am Report this Post to the Staff
dougsmit Pillar of the Community United States 1549 Posts	Posted 11/12/2011 12:58 pm I don't know but my guess: Some coins were issued for one specific event like a New Year celebration (often asses given out to the crowd) or some change in status. Maximus' coins may have been issued for one celebration (his being named Caesar?) and none were struck for him after that. It is quite common for family members to get the short share of coin issues. Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 11/12/2011 3:09 pm Very nice and hard to come by. Report this Post to the Staff
bobbyhelmet Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 2838 Posts	Posted 11/12/2011 6:59 pm Nice coin, you dont see many of these. I guess a few reasons contributed to their relative scarceness. Damnatio memoriae would certainly have played a part, this was the beginning of the 'year of the six Emperors', were they all over-stamping coins? A few people doing this in quick succession would have destroyed what few Maximus coins were ever made. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,412

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: Ancient, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Coins

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.25 seconds to rattle this change.