The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei Part I
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Trebonianus Gallus, 251-253
Binio 251-253, AV 5.65 g. IMP CAE C VIB TREB GALLVS AVG Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. SALVS AVGG Salus standing r., feeding snake held in her arms out of patera. C 113 var. (omits drapery and cuirass). RIC 13. Calicó 3346 (these dies).
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. Virtually as struck and almost Fdc
Provenance
Sold by Numismatica Ars Classica, Zurich, auction 33, 5 April 2006, lot 564.

For most of the first 250 years of the Roman Empire, its gold aureus was relatively consistent in weight and purity. It was affected only by adjustments in weight – usually downward, but occasionally upward. The first major decline in later history occurred under Caracalla, and subsequently under Severus Alexander. Beginning with the reign of Trebonianus Gallus, however, gold coinage became increasingly variable in weight and denomination, and medallions intended as bonuses or bribes also came to be struck with regularity. Something that certainly can be attributed to Gallus is the mainstream introduction of the ‘binio’, a gold homologue to the silver double-denarius. In some if not all cases, the binio was struck with double-denarius dies, at a heavier weight than the aureus. With the typical aureus of Gallus weighing about 3.60 grams, his average ‘binio’ weighed about 5.75 grams. The binio weighed roughly 1.5 times as much as the aureus, and if we examine the weight relationship between Caracalla’s silver double-denarius and denarius, we find an identical weight ratio. Furthermore, they are identically different in terms of iconography, thus giving us a perfect parallel. Indeed, had the denarius not been scrapped as a mainstream issue under Gordian III, the same comparison would probably be possible with Gallus’ denarii and double-denarii. Predecessors to the binios of this era were struck by Caracalla. However, only a handful of these have survived, and Caracalla’s truly are double-aurei medallions because their weight is double that of his contemporary aurei.