★ Allectus very rare ORIENS AVG issue ★

Allectus, Romano-British Emperor, 293-296. Antoninianus (Bronze, 22 mm, 5.00 g, 7 h), Londinium, 294-295. IMP C ALLECTVS P F AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust of Allectus to right. Rev. ORIENS AVG / S - A / ML Sol standing front, head to left, raising his right hand in salute and holding globe in his left. Burnett 43a. Cohen 31 corr. (bust type). RIC 26. Very rare. Some roughness and with minor deposits on the reverse, otherwise, about very fine.

The very rare ORIENS AVG-reverse type seems particularly ironic for a usurper controlling nothing but Britain. Its appearance on Carausius' and Allectus' coinage indicates that at least on some occasions, little thought was given to the meaning of some of the reverse legends - they were probably just copied from coins of previous emperors that were melted down at the mint.