Roman Antoninianus Claudius II Gothicus - the St. Valentine Coin
Love & Death on February 14. Genuine Bronze Antoninianus struck during the time of Saint Valentine.
Coin Highlights:
- Weight: 1.5-4.3g
- Diameter: 14.2-21.5 mm
- Housed in a noble wooden box with a certificate of authenticity and story.
- Obverse: Bust of Emperor Claudius II Gothicus.
In the year 268 CE, Claudius Gothicus, assumed the Roman throne. Desperate for fresh army recruits, he decreed that young men remain unmarried, hoping that more of them would become soldiers. Defying the new Emperor’s orders, Valentine performed secret marriages in the underground Christian community. He was soon discovered, arrested and sentenced to death.
Legend has it that just before his execution, he sent a letter to the jailer's daughter, whom he had befriended, which he signed "from your Valentine", the origin of the modern custom. On February 14, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate, but his heart beat on. His Feast Day was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496.
Legend has it that just before his execution, he sent a letter to the jailer's daughter, whom he had befriended, which he signed "from your Valentine", the origin of the modern custom. On February 14, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate, but his heart beat on. His Feast Day was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496.
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