 Throughout the reign of Gordian III, coins were used to establish his legitimacy and fitness to rule.Early in his reign, a large number of coins declaring the "Virtus" (virtue) of Gordian III were minted but later coins bearing such a description ceased to be minted.The reason for this is likely that Gordian III, who was very young and had never had any military position, was attempting to establish his "virtus" to the army to compensate for his lack of experience.