Any recommendations for a diagnostics guide on Constaninian bronzes?

I just bought a small lot of heavily-worn 4th century bronzes and am having a hard time telling apart all the Constans, Constantines, Valentinians, etc. The inscriptions are too worn to completely decipher, so I'm forced to rely on the designs. Does anybody have a recommendation for a good guide (preferably online) on 4th century Roman bronzes?

My apologies if this question gets posted a lot, I'm guessing many beginning collectors of ancients run into the same difficulty.

 

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Unfortunately, by the 4th century, most of the portraits were generic and most reverse designs were shared. You might find the Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins helpful. The first edition is a free download here...

http://www.dirtyoldbooks.com/eric.html

But unless you have a good chunk of legend to work with, it's going to be rough.

 

I've found this site very helpful:

http://www.tesorillo.com/aes/home.htm

And this one, from the woman who runs wildwinds:

http://www.catbikes.ch/coinstuff/coins-ric.htm

 

While not really for use for IDing, this page will point out which rulers issued the most common reverse types. Click on the pictures to go to a secondary page with more information. If your coins lack the obverse legends, you might not be able to identify which belongs to which. Most were issued by two to six different rulers at the same time so a few letters of obverse are needed.
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/uncleaned.html

 

Thanks for all the links, those give me a lot to work with. I wasn't aware that the portraits were also recycled from emperor to emperor. Or were the busts just so similar that it's tough to tell them apart?

On a more historical note, why the massive recycling of designs in the 4th century? Was it just a symptom of the declining power and rising instability of the empire or were emperors making a more conscious attempt to link themselves to their predecessors?

 

Most coins of the 4th century were issued at the same time by a main emperor and his family or two or more co-emperors. For example, Constantine the Great issued the same coin types for four sons and for part of the time for his co-emperor Licinius and his son. You might be able to guess from the portraits but most coins were made in at least a dozen mints each with their own styles so being certain which guy was intended is not easy. Many of these coins were issued for lesser persons who had only the title Caesar but not Augustus but it is not always easy to tell which Caesar. They were brothers with similar appearance. From the time Diocletian appointed Maximianus as his co-emperor until the end of the Empire there were only a couple short periods (reigns of Julian II and Jovian) when there was only one person issuing coins. For the rest of the time, types usually were shared and issued side by side with each other.

 

This site may be usefull. http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/

 

Victor is my go to man when I need help with these coins.........he is very clued up on this period.......