The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei Part I
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Probus, 276 – 282
Aureus 276-282, AV 6.58 g. IMP PRO – BVS PFAVG Laureate and cuirassed bust l. with aegis and spear over r. shoulder seen three-quarters from front. Rev. VIRT – V – S AVG Probus, in military attire seated l. on curule chair holding sceptre in l. hand and extending r. to receive globe from Virtus who stands r. before him; behind the emperor, in r. field, Victory standing l. to crown him. In background, soldier standing facing holding standard, to his l., one further standard. In exergue, wreath. C 837 (omits cuirass). RIC 146. Jameson 296a (this coin). Biaggi 1633 (this coin). Calicó 4241 (this reverse die).
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A magnificent portrait in the
finest style of the period and a finely executed reverse composition, work
of a very skilled master engraver. Three unobtrusive edge-nicks,
otherwise virtually as struck and almost Fdc
Provenance
Sold by sold by Eugen Merzbacher, auction, Munich, 15 November 1910 sqq., lot 2135.
The catalogue contained two collections of Roman coins, so we could not identify the previous owner of this coin. Whilst the General S.F.H. remains mysterious, the architect Van Muyden is well-known, notably for his drawings of coins that were illustrated in the Revue Suisse de Numismatique.
Frédéric Robert Jameson (1861-1942) Collection, bought by Jacob Hirsch.
Giuseppe Mazzini (1883-1961) Collection.
Dr. Athos D. Moretti (1907-1993) Collection sold anonymously by Numismatic Fine Arts (Beverly Hills, CA), auction XXII, 1 June 1989, lot 111.
Götz Grabert (1924-2000) Collection sold by LHS Numismatik, auction 97 (”A European Scholar lately deceased”), Zurich, 10 May 2006, lot 78.

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus came from obscure origins, born in A.D. 232 to Dalmatius, a Pannonian gardener from Sirmium, and a mother whose name is not known. He joined the legions around 250, and quickly rose to become a tribune during the reign of Valerian. Distinguishing himself further during the reins of both Aurelian and Tacitus, by 276 when Tacitus died, Probus, now in his mid-40s, was in overall command of the legions of the East. Immediately upon hearing of the emperor’s death, Probus’ troops hailed him emperor, and he began a quick march towards Rome to secure the throne. He first defeated his rival emperor, Florian, Tacitus’s half-brother, at Tarsus, after which the Senate in Rome recognized him as emperor. Then, after crossing into Europe in 277, he was further delayed from his initial route when he confronted the Goths who had invaded along the lower Danube. The following year saw Probus in Gaul, actively engaging the Alamanni and Longiones, both Germanic tribes that had invaded Roman territory from across the Rhine, and during 279-280 he was fighting the Vandals in Illyricum and Rhaetia. By 280-281 Probus still had yet to reach Rome, having first to suppress the revolts from the successive usurpers, Julius Saturninus, Proculus and Bonosus. Finally, at the end of 281, he reached Rome, where he celebrated a triumph for his military victories. The reverse of this lovely aureus celebrates the virtue of the emperor, and was struck during Probus’ sojourn in Rome in 281. It was likely struck as part of an extensive donative related to his triumph. The obverse, which is finely detailed and wonderfully executed, depicts Probus in a military pose, holding a sceptre over his shoulder and wearing a cuirass upon which rests the aegis. The aegis was an animal skin originally possessed by Jupiter and his daughter, Minerva, often shown with a gorgoneion and tasseled hems. It was thought to be ageless and immortal; as the accoutrement of the emperor, it protected him during battle.