Roman Silvered Antoninianus Of Carus (AD 282–283) NGC

This NGC-certified silvered Antoninianus was issued under Emperor Carus, who ruled the Roman Empire from AD 282 to 283. A career military officer, Carus was proclaimed emperor by his troops following the assassination of Emperor Probus. Though his reign was brief, Carus proved to be a capable and decisive leader during a time of continuing instability in the Roman world.

Carus directed his attention toward strengthening Rome’s military dominance. He launched a major campaign against the Sassanid Empire, achieving significant victories and even capturing the Persian capital of Ctesiphon. These successes revived Roman morale and briefly reasserted imperial power in the East. However, Carus’s sudden and mysterious death—reportedly caused by a lightning strike in his tent—brought an abrupt end to his promising rule.

The Antoninianus was the primary denomination of the period, usually struck in a bronze core with a thin silver wash. Coins of Carus typically depict the emperor wearing a radiate crown, emphasizing his semi-divine status, with reverses celebrating military success, imperial virtues, or divine favor.

Though his time on the throne was short, Carus laid the groundwork for a brief period of dynastic continuity through his sons Carinus and Numerian, both of whom were elevated to positions of power before his death.

Encapsulated and certified by NGC, this silvered Antoninianus of Carus offers collectors a tangible connection to the final years of the Crisis of the Third Century and the last stretch of military emperors before Diocletian's sweeping reforms.