TYPE Roman Empire, Vetranio (350 AD), AE half centenionalis, Thessalonika mint, fourth off., 2.54g DESCRIPTION . Obv: Diademed draped bust of Vetranio to right, Latin legend DN VETRANIO PF AVG Rev: Vetranio standing r., holding labarum and , Latin legend VIRTVS EXERCITVM, A - B in fields, mintmark TES 'delta' in exergue REFERENCE: SR 4043 var., CHK 1652 GRADING: VF / AEF, chocolate brown patina, slight roughness ORDER INFO: R2823, $235 Vetranio's "semi-official" imperial stint - limited in practice to broader Illyricum and evidenced monetarily only at Siscia and Thessalonika mints - was one of the rare "success stories" of imperial cooperation triumphing over personal ambition (and even rarer case of a transient emperor not meeting a violent death). Persuaded to take the purple as a tactical move to limit the damage of Magnentius' Western usurpation, Vetranio fulfilled his duty, remained loyal to Constantius, abdicated orderly after nine months and lived thereafter in comfortable retirement. His coins remain predictably scarce today, and their military reverse themes reflect the context of this rule.