Balbinus
Imperator Caesar Decimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus Augustus
Balbinus (reigned 238 AD as co-emperor with Pupienus during the Year of the Six Emperors) was a senator twice consul, elected by the Senate's Board of Twenty and killed by the Praetorian Guard the same year. His coinage from the Rome mint is rare across all denominations; the joint CARITAS MVTVA AVGG types with Pupienus are particularly collected. Standard catalog: RIC IV Part III (Mattingly and Sydenham).
Decimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus was a senator twice consul who was elected co-emperor alongside Pupienus by the Senate in the chaotic year 238. While Pupienus marched against Maximinus, Balbinus remained in Rome managing a severe civil disturbance; supporters of the Gordians rioted and burned much of the city. When Pupienus returned after Maximinus's death, the Praetorian Guard, who despised the Senate's choice, murdered both emperors on the same day.
Balbinus and Pupienus together represent the final failure of purely senatorial power in Roman imperial politics. Their coinage is historically essential for any collection covering the extraordinary Year of the Six Emperors (238 AD). The joint types in particular are highly collectible precisely because they proclaim a harmony that was immediately destroyed.
Key Events
Coinage
Balbinus's coinage mirrors that of Pupienus in rarity and type range. Both emperors' portraits appear on individual and joint issues. Balbinus's portrait shows a bearded, full-faced elderly senator. The types (PROVIDENTIA DEORVM, FIDES MILITVM, CONCORDIA AVGG) project imperial stability that his brief reign entirely failed to provide.
Denominations
Notable Types
- CARITAS MVTVA AVGG (joint type with Pupienus)
- PROVIDENTIA DEORVM types
- FIDES MILITVM types
- CONCORDIA AVGG types
Common Reverses
Active Mints
Related Resources
Further Reading
- Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part III,
- Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume III,