Florian BI Aurelianianus AD 276 F

The double denarius, sometimes called an antoninianus or aurelianianus, was a result of inflation in the Roman Empire.  In 215 AD, Caracalla stopped production of the regular silver denarius and introduced the double denarius, which only used 1.5x the material of a regular denarius.  In 274 AD under Aurelian, the composition of double denarii changed from a silver alloy to bronze with a silver coating.  Some consider double denarii from 274 and beyond to be a different denomination (aurelianiani) than previous double denarii (antoniniani).  On a double denarius’s obverse, emperors are depicted wearing a radiate crown and empresses are pictured with a crescent moon under their shoulders.  This specific double denarius was minted during the reign of Florian.

Like his half-brother Tacitus, little is known about the early life of Marcus Annius Florianus. He would likely have been forgotten by history if he had not been appointed praetorian prefect by his brother, the Emperor. After Tacitus’ death in June 276, Florian swiftly assumed the role of Emperor. He spent the entirety of his extremely brief reign combatting a revolt of the Syrian, Palestinian, Egyptian, and Phoenecian provinces, led by Marcus Aurelius Probus. Probus used the hot climate to his advantage, sapping the morale of Florian's troops, who eventually rose up against him and killed him.

This coin was graded F (fine) by the Numismatic Grading Company, the official grading service of the American Numismatic Association and the Professional Numismatists Guild.  Here is a list of grades used by the NGC, as well as information about Strike, Surface, and Style ratings.

Obverse: IMP FLORIANUS AVG (Imperator Florianus Augustus, translation: Supreme Commander Florian, Emperor); radiate, draped, and curiassed bust right
Reverse: CONCORDIA MILITVM (Concordia Militum, translation: harmony with the soldiers); Victory standing right, holding wreath in raised right hand and palm in left, facing Florian in military attire standing left, right hand extended, holding sceptre in left, officina mark S in exergue

Reference: RCV 11853, RIC V 116