Trebonianus Gallus And Volusian - Appreciating A Good Deal

I will be the first to admit that I am a bad Roman collector. I focus on the bust and the history of the person and pay the reverse little attention. I haven't fully attributed most of my coins, but I am working through it slowly.

I picked up this dynamic duo close to six months ago, sold together as a lot. Didn't even think to look them up on Wildwinds until recently:

1) Trebonianus Gallus 251-253
AR Antoninianus
Obv: IMP CAE C VIB TREB GALLVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: ANNONA AVGG, Annona standing right, holding rudder and corn ears.
RIC 31 - Not on Wildwinds!




2) His son Volusian
AR Antoninianus
IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG
P M TR P IIII COS II, Genius standing, holding scepter and branch
RIC 140




The coins are by no means "choice" but this particular seller's choice of coins to group into lots puzzles me. Both are, IMO, worthy of individual sale, and vcoins has lesser examples of each for twice what I paid together. I would grade both in the F/VF range, obviously with the surface problems to be expected of a coin that is only ~20% silver.

And of course good coins need history!

Trebonianus Gallus was an aristocrat from an old family line. He was serving as governor of Moesia when the news arrived that Decius and his son had died in battle against the barbarians. Gallus was proclaimed emperor by the troops around the same time that Decius' roughly 21 year old son Hostilian was declared emperor. Rather than marching on Rome as a usurper, Gallus adopted Hostilian as his son and declared for joint rule. Hostilian died, probably of plague, just about a month later so Gallus elevated his biological son Volusian.

His rule was catastrophic. Rather than punish the Goths for their raids and the death of the precious two emperors, Gallus made peace, letting them keep their plunder and offering an annual tribute in exchange for staying out of Roman territory. Of course they took the money and kept plundering, which Gallus did little to stop. Shapur I also sacked numerous provinces but Gallus was slow to respond, and sent too few troops to deal with Rome's greatest rival. He debased the antoninianus significantly; it now held so little silver that it no longer looked like a "good silver" coin. He was forced to deal with several usurpers, among them Aemilian, who defeated Gallus and Volusian and ruled for a few short months before being deposed by Valerian I.

Feel free to share any coins you have, either of this type, or of these emperors!