Valentinian II Roman AE4 (AD 375-392) NGC

Own a certified Roman bronze AE4 of Valentinian II (AD 375–392), authenticated and slabbed by NGC. This coin captures the tragic reign of a boy-emperor caught in the turmoil of a collapsing Western Empire.

Valentinian II was the son of Emperor Valentinian I. Elevated to the throne at the age of four after his father’s death, he was emperor in name only. Real power in the Western Empire rested with others: the usurper Magnus Maximus controlled much of the West, and in Italy, Valentinian’s mother, Justina, served as the true authority behind the throne.

During his early years, Valentinian II leaned toward Arian Christianity under his mother’s influence, a theological stance opposed by the Nicene orthodoxy championed by figures like St. Ambrose. After Justina’s death, Valentinian moved toward Nicene Christianity, but his reign was cut short before he could fully embrace it.

In 392 AD, amid increasing political tension, the powerful general Arbogast, a Frankish insurgent who held real control over the government, had Valentinian II strangled under suspicious circumstances. His sudden death at age 21 symbolized the growing collapse of imperial authority in the West.

Bronze AE4 coins of Valentinian II typically feature his youthful, diademed portrait on the obverse, with reverses promoting imperial victory, divine favor, or the stability of the Roman state — themes increasingly disconnected from the reality of the empire’s decline.

Certified by NGC, this AE4 coin offers collectors a poignant connection to the fading days of Western Roman rule.