More often than not ancient coins are packed with symbolism and meaning, and this Roman Republican coin definitely does not disappoint!  Firstly, this coin honors Flaccus’s ancestor who campaigned against the Gauls in northern Italy.  He even achieved victory against the Insubri tribe in the area around Mediolanum (modern day Milan) during his Consulship of 195 BC. Secondly, Crawford suggests that the ear of grain/corn behind Mars represents the grain dole that Flaccus would have distributed had he been elected Aedile. Instead he was granted the office of Moneyer. Lastly, the combination of a priestly apex cap and the god Mars references the fact that L. Valerius Flaccus was appointed to the lifelong position of Flamen Martialis. As the Flamen Martialis, Flaccus would act as Mars’s high priest and conduct the necessary rituals associated with the god during all state religious holidays.