Magnus Decentius was a usurper during the reign of Constantius II.

Own a certified Roman bronze coin of Magnus Decentius, usurper against the authority of Constantius II, authenticated and slabbed by NGC. This coin offers a glimpse into a turbulent period of division and civil strife within the late Roman Empire.

In AD 350, following the assassination of the Western emperor Constans, the usurper Magnentius seized power. To strengthen his regime, Magnentius appointed his brother, Magnus Decentius, as Caesar (junior emperor) and entrusted him with controlling the vital frontier provinces of Gaul and Britain.

Decentius’s role was crucial: he was responsible for maintaining stability in the western territories while Magnentius contended with Constantius II in the East. However, the alliance was ultimately doomed. After Magnentius’s crushing defeat at the Battle of Mons Seleucus in 353, Decentius, seeing the inevitable collapse of their rebellion, committed suicide.

Coins issued in the name of Magnus Decentius typically feature imperial busts with military attire, emphasizing strength and legitimacy, with reverses promoting loyalty to the army or traditional Roman virtues. Despite his short reign, the coins of Decentius are important artifacts of a desperate and dramatic attempt to carve out an independent Western Roman state.

Certified by NGC, this bronze coin offers collectors a rare opportunity to own a piece of late Roman history — a fleeting glimpse into the fractured politics and doomed ambitions of a fading empire.