Maximinus Thrax, 235-238, Denarius

Maximinus Thrax, Denarius, AR, reign AD 235–238; struck at Rome AD 235–236, 3.41 g, 20 mm.

Obverse: IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG; laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: SALVS AVGVSTI; Salus standing right, feeding a serpent rising from an altar, holding scepter. Struck at Rome on standard denarius fabric for the opening issues of the reign. References: RIC IV 14. Maximinus Thrax, a career soldier elevated by the army in AD 235, marks the beginning of the Third-Century Crisis. Operating almost continuously on the Rhine and Danube frontiers and seldom, if ever, entering Rome, he relied on coinage to communicate legitimacy and stability. The SALVS AVGVSTI type invokes the protective deity Salus for the emperor’s safety and health, a message aligned with his precarious position and ongoing military campaigns during the early years of his rule.