The VSV denarii of Aurelian and Severina

Reading (again) Cathy King’s paper on denarii and quinarii in the late third century in the 1978 Sutherland festschrift she observes that from the reign of Valerian to the end of the century their issue was probably restricted to special occasions with the exception of the denarii of Aurelian and Severina. It is quite noticeable that in King’s 2007 corpus of Roman quinarii there is an apparent hiatus in their issue after Claudius II and their issue resumed under Tacitus.

Although not the sole mint for denarii during the reign of Aurelian the Rome mint is the most prolific, particularly after the commencement of the 10^th issue, using the arrangement of Estiot in MER XII.1

DENARII OF AURELIAN AND SEVERINA

Issue, Date (MER online)	Reverse and Issuer	Notes
1, Oct – Dec 270	VICTORIA AVG (Victory right) Aurelian
9, summer – autumn 274	ORIENS AVG, Aurelian	Includes a type with left facing martial bust
10, end 274 (MER XII.1 suggests November to December)	VICTORIA AVG (Victory left, with or without captive) Aurelian	VSV mark on reverse
	VENVS FELIX, Severina	VSV mark on reverse
	VENVS VICTRIX, Severina	VSV mark on reverse
	LAETITIA AVG, Severina	VSV mark on reverse
11, early 275 to Sep 275	ORIENS AVG, Aurelian
	PROVIDE AVG, Aurelian
	PM TRP VII COS III PP, Aurelian
	VICTORIA AVG (Victory left, with or without captive) Aurelian	Right facing consular bust amongst the obverse types
	PROVIDEN AVG, Aurelian
	VENVS FELIX, Severina
12, Sep to Nov 275	VENVS FELIX, Severina	“Interregnum” issue, officina letter in right field

The VSV mark that is present only on the denarius in the series of coins issued by Aurelian and Severina and only on the denarii of the tenth issue has provoked some comment in the past. It does not apparently coincide with the monetary reform of Aurelian that introduced the XXI formula to the radiate base silver coinage (often termed “aureliani” in academic literature to differentiate the reformed coins from the pre-reform antoniniani). The aureliani are believed to have started in issue 8, dating to between spring and summer 274. The usual expansion of VSV is to “vsvalis”, identifying the coin as the usual accounting unit, ie, the denarius. If that is the case why is it not present on the issue 9 denarius, nor perpetuated on later denarii, yet the XXI continued on the radiate coins.

An attractive alternative solution is that the VSV mark can be expanded to Vota Solvta Qvinqvenalia, the discharge of the five year vows. This appears attractive given both the year of issue of the type and also the ephemeral use of the formula on this brief issue.

Recently a new theory was put forwards in Num Chron 2013. The VSV formula is postulated to be a phrase somewhat akin to the RSR (Redeunt Saturnia Regna, the return of the Saturnian age) on the coins of Carausius. VSV becomes, perhaps, Veniens Sol Vicit (Sol came and conquered). It echoes the veni, vidi, vici of Julius Caesar, apt after the defeat of Vabalathus in the east and Tetricus in the west. You have to ask, though, if that’s the case I would again question why it wasn’t perpetuated on subsequent issues.

I would suggest that King’s assertion that the denarii of Aurelian are not ceremonial issues is not wholly true. The paucity of the earlier issues discounts this. Also I would argue that the VSV marked pieces are also a ceremonial issue. Even the last issue of denarii issued during Aurelian’s reign, issue 11, contains a consular obverse bust type and also a dated reverse type amongst the repertoire so a ceremonial series may be plausible.

References

Estiot, S, (MER) Monnaies de l’Empire romain XII.1 d’Aurelien a Florien (2004)

King, C E, “Denarii and Quinarii, AD 253-295”, in Carson, R A G, and Kraay, C, Scripta Nummaria Romana: Essays presented to H Sutherland, 1978, pp 75-104

King, C E, Roman Quinarii from the Republic to Diocletian and the Tetrarchy (2007)

Woods, D, “Aurelian and the mark VSV: some neglected possibilities “, Numismatic Chronicle 173, 2016, pp 137-49