SALON VALERIANVS NOB CAES, radiate draped bust right / SPES PVBLICA, Spes presenting flower to prince. 21mm, 3.79 grams. Antioch mint, struck 256 CE. RIC 36, Cohen 95.

Saloninus (Publius Licinius Cornelius Saloninus Valerianus) was the younger son of Emperor Gallienus and held the title of Caesar from 258 to 260 CE. Appointed as imperial heir in the western provinces, he resided at Cologne (Colonia Agrippinensis) under the guardianship of the general Silvanus while his father campaigned elsewhere. During the crisis of 260, the rebel commander Postumus was proclaimed emperor by the Rhine legions. When Saloninus was elevated to Augustus in a last attempt to preserve loyalty, it proved too late: Cologne fell, and both Saloninus and Silvanus were killed. His brief and tragic career epitomizes the instability of the Crisis of the Third Century, when imperial authority fractured under constant military rebellion.