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David Sear, Roman Coins and Their Values, Revised 4th Ed. 1988 and Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire provides us with much of what we know about Marius:
Evidently, Marius seized power after the death of Postumus. He had been a blacksmith before joining the army, and had easily advanced through the ranks because of his skill at the military arts. He did not last more than two or three days as emperor, though. The story that persists to this day is that he was killed with one of the swords he had made with his own hands as a blacksmith.
Marius is one of more than a few Third Century emperors and usurpers about which history has little real knowledge. What is known about him has been gleaned mostly from his coins. He struck coins at the mint of Cologne and possibly others.
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