Saloninus caesar, 256

Quinarius 256, Billon 15 mm, 1.35 g. LIC COR SAL VALERIANVS N CAES Bareheaded and draped bust r. Rev. PRINCIPI IVVENTVT Prince standing l., holding military standards. C 85 var. (IVVENTVTIS). Gobl 270m. RIC 31 corr. King 40d (this coin illustrated).
Extremely rare, possibly the only silver quinarius of Saloninus in private hands. Old cabinet tone and very fine

Privately purchased from M&M.
The sudden death of Valerian II on the Danubian front must have come as grim news to the teenage Saloninus: not only had he lost his elder brother, but it also meant that he would be called to arms. As one might expect, Gallienus wasted little time in raising Saloninus - his only remaining son - to the rank of Caesar, for he was occupied on the Danube at the same time: the Alemanni launched an invasion of Italy late in 258. The Empire's difficulties were so great that two emperors would not suffice, leadership was required on the three active fronts: the Rhine, the Danube and the Euphrates. Saloninus was dispatched to Cologne, where he established court and was in position to react quickly to incursions along the Rhine. Aiding the young Caesar were the praetorian prefect Silvanus and the German governor Postumus. In 260, Germans crossed the Rhine en masse, with the Alemmani pillaging Gaul and the Franks striking even further south into Spain. To make matters worse, all were probably aware by now that Valerian I, the senior emperor, had been captured by the Sasanians. Isolated and inexperienced, Saloninus stood little chance of retaining the loyalty of the disheartened Roman armies, who in opposition hailed the governor Postumus emperor. Saloninus raised himself to the rank of Augustus during a siege of Cologne by Postumus, which soon ended in the young emperor's execution, and the creation of a separatist 'Romano-Gallic Empire' by Postumus.