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  151306.Sold For $365 

DIVUS TITUS. Died 81 AD. AR Antoninianus (24mm, 
3.16 gm). Commemorative issue struck under Trajan 
Decius, 250/1 AD. DIVO TITO, radiate head right / 
CONSECRATIO, lighted altar. RIC IV 97 (Trajan 
Decius); Hunter 32 (Trajan Decius); RSC 599. 
Toned, near EF.
When Decius became emperor shortly after the 
millenium of Rome, he attempted to garner support 
by restoring the traditional Roman religion. 
However, by this time the old Roman pantheon was 
no longer in vogue. Therefore, Decius issued a 
series of coins commemorating the deified 
emperors. The list of rulers commemorated, eleven 
in all, falls short of the total then residing 
with Jupiter on Olympus, and there is no 
explanation as to why the series lacks such 
figures as the deified Julius Caesar, Claudius, 
Lucius Verus, Pertinax or Caracalla. To further 
confuse matters, the series does include one 
emperor who was never deified and whose appearance 
thus remains an enigma - Severus Alexander.

In RIC IV, Mattingly rather unconvincingly 
attributed the 'Divus' types struck under Decius 
to the mint at Milan. Via a study of die-linkage 
using British Museum specimens as well as examples 
that have appeared in various auctions over the 
years, K.J.J. Elks has since refuted Mattingly's 
attribution, placing the 'Divi' series in the last 
issue of Decius struck at Rome (see Reattribution 
of the Milan Coins of Trajan Decius to the Rome 
Mint, NumChron 1972, pp. 111-115 and pls. 14-15.



From the CNG Online Coin Shop, before 2008.
By permission of CNG, www.cngcoins.com.