VALENTINIAN I
AD 364-375
AE1. 5.42g, 25.7mm
MINTED: Uncertain mint, circa AD 364-367
REF: Sear 4100
OBVERSE: D N VALENTINI-ANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
REVERSE: RESTITV-TOR REIP, emperor standing facing, head right, labarum (chi-rho Christogram standard) in right, Victory on globe offering wreath in left; [mintmark in exergue].
 
Notes:
Worn, rough surfaces, but an affordable example of a scarce and interesting large bronze AE1 for Valentinian I. 
 
Provenance:
Ex Professor James Seaver Collection
Professor James E. Seaver (1918-2011) was a collector and enthusiast whose academic specialty was late Roman history.  He taught ancient history at the University of Kansas and was the head of its Western Civilization program for over 20 years.
 
Historical Notes:
Founder of the Valentinian Dynasty, he was the last of the great soldier emperors of the Roman Empire. He campaigned with great success against the Alamanni, Quadi and Sarmatian tribes and was the last emperor to send his legions across the Rhine and Danube rivers. He was known to have had a violent temper, and according to Ammianus, "he hated the well-dressed and educated and wealthy and well-born". Being unable to control his temper did not work out so well for Valentinian, and he died when he burst a blood vessel yelling in anger at a group of Quadi envoys.