Probus- Salvs Avg EQVITI-SERIES (MA2618)

Probus AD 276-282. Ticinum

Antoninianus Æ silvered

26 mm, 4,48 g

IMP C PROBVS AVG, radiate bust of Probus to left, wearing trabea and holding eagle-tipped scepter in his right hand / SALVS AVG / V / TXXI, Salus standing right, feeding snake holding in her right hand out of patera in her left.

Good Very Fine

Cohen 577. RIC 499

This coin is part of the coded EQVITI series of Ticinum

 During the reign of Emperor Probus (AD 276–282), the mint of Ticinum produced a remarkable series of antoniniani known today as the EQVITI series. These coins contain a hidden code: each officina (workshop) used a different letter in the field, and together these letters spell the word EQVITI. The term is generally interpreted as a reference to the equites, the Roman cavalry. Since Probus was a successful military commander who relied heavily on mobile cavalry forces in his campaigns, the series is often seen as a subtle tribute to these troops. For modern collectors, the EQVITI series is particularly fascinating because the different officina letters form a kind of numismatic puzzle, where a complete set of coins reveals the hidden word EQVITI.