George V Penny 1927 Uncirculated

Gallienus ruled as sole emperor from 260-268 AD during one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Roman empire. Not only was the empire facing invasions on all sides but Gallienus had to face at least eight rebellions from his own governors and generals! During his reign, Gallienus issued a fantastic group of coins that we refer to as the ‘Zoo Series’ featuring a variety of animals, some real and some mythical, to honour the gods and asking for their protection. What makes these coins even more interesting is that we know that they circulated in Britain at the time because a large quantity of these types was found in the Mildenhall hoard in 1978 which is now in the British Museum. The coins would have been struck on the continent and transported to Britain. Here we offer the coins showing the Hippocamp, a mythological sea monster with the head and front legs of a horse but the winding tail of a fish or dolphin. These were struck to honour Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.