Bonosus (Usurper in Gaul, ca. 280 AD)

 Bonosus, a man of British descent, was a general during the reign of Probus,
 rebelled against the emperor in ca.280 AD, after failing to achieve a victory
    against the Germans on Rhine. After a very brief reign in Gaul he was
     attacked by Probus and defeated after a short, but bloody, struggle.

   There is only a handful of his coins known, all of barbaric and distinctive
 appearance. The sale price (at differrent auctions) for the antoniniani ranges
         from 1000$ to 6000$, but they are all unpriced in catalogs. 

                 Rare bronze antoninianus of
              Bonosus, Usurper in Gaul (ca.280 AD).
              [M] C BONO~SVS [///] on obv, radiate
              head of Bonosus showing bare neck right /
              Uncertain deity standing, holding a long
              wavy object (Perhaps Salus feeding
              snake?) [//// A]VG. Small (15mm), thick,
              with nice brown patina, of very similar
              inscription, portrait and obverse and
              reverse style to RIC 2. VF, beautiful brown
              patina, an extreme rarity. Stock #19703.
              Note: This is what RIC writes about this issue:
              "The coins of this reign suggest a somewhat earlier
              date than 280 AD. They are of small diameter,
              thick... The neck is always bare, the workmanship
              barbarous and the lettering blundered." On this
              particular coin the wavy arms of the deity on
              reverse are almost identical in style to the style of
              RIC 2 coin, where Pax is depicted in a very similar
              manner, and the dies for these coins were probably
              cut by the same person.