The Bruck Thread

# 21. I can only read VOT X dot MVLT XX , on the reverse of this tiny coin. I cannot tell the name of the Emperor, nor read enough letters to identify it as an LRB. Hope somebody can.

 

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https://www.cointalk.com/threads/bruck-review.260418/

It has been less than a week since we started the above thread. You might want to read the review before your copy arrives but I suspect you will enjoy the book.

 

Excellent review, thank you Doug, I am looking forward to getting the book. I have LOADS of coins that I have not got around to looking yet, most of which should be in the book.

 

I ordered a paperback edition from Amazon for $29 shipped, should get it this week sometime. Thanks for drawing my attention to it Doug - I wasn't aware that it had been translated.

 

Well, it was bound to happen. You get a collector looking through a catalog and you can be almost sure he's going to buy a coin.

This checks off type #35, the three-short-turrets-no-star campgate. But this coin satisfies several of my collecting desires. It's a campgate variety I don't have yet, it's almost fully silvered, and it's got a beautifully-engraved small head bust. Some of these small busts on the Caesar kids are pretty goofy - shrunken heads, which gives them an interesting character to be sure. But this one is exceptional in its style: the beatific, child-like expression and the laurel crown with leaves that extend above the head...the more I looked at this coin, the more I simply HAD to have it.

This is Victor Clark's image. I'm curious to see what it's like in hand. I have several almost fully-silvered coins, and they're notoriously difficult to photograph. They look like entirely different coins when lit from different angles, but that of course is part of their charm - they are shape shifters...

 

I do not know what it is but there must be some explanation for the extreme silvering on this particular issue. They exist in the market well silvered for each of the rulers at the time. My Licinius II is also shop delta.

My MHTE Constantine II is not as nice but still has more silver than most coins of the late Roman period.


Constantine I is B but there is a patch of dark on top of the smaller top loop making it harder to see. If you look for these on acsearch, you'll see the small loop is pretty standard on these.


While on acsearch, I noted well silvered coins of the other participants in the MHT_ issue of 317 raising the question of whether that mint was using thicker silvering that year or could all of our coins be from a very large hoard of coins straight from the mint?

 

#34 ?

 

7C any chance of a larger picture of your coin?

 

Works for me, your campgate has longer tripod legs on the turrets. Later in the book, Bruck goes into more detail about varieties. I think these initial diagrams are meant to be very general.

So of the campgates, Steve has a triple play on #32, a few of us have #35, dlhill has #34, most of us have a few examples of the most common variety, #36. All of the four-turret varieties that I've seen have doors. Does any have a coin or pic of #33?

The VOT PVB types belong to Valentinian III only (Pics from Wildwinds)...

#37


#39


#38 is a type for Valentinian I, Valens, and Gratian...


(I like this last variety very much and have added it to my want list.)

 

Pish.. Instead, I've decided to post this similar newly- find which is of better condition. I can't identify this handsome Emperor of the Constantine Dynasty. The coin weighs 1.92 g. I got it today with many other coins that I shall be posting soon.

 

VOT XX MVLT XXX is going to be either Constantius II, or Constans. But Charles, please don't post coins to identify in this thread. I would like to stay on the topic of Bruck. You're better off making new threads for coins that need to be identified.

Here is #22. I'm taking the liberty of posting Warren's coin, and you can read his analysis here. I would VERY much like an example of this type, but they're hard to come by and I doubt I'll ever be able to afford one.

 

#30 is the POP ROMANVS commemorative. Here is an example from CNG. Click on the image to link to the auction.

"The reverse depicts the famed Milvian Bridge over the Tiber, where Maxentius made his stand against Constantine’s forces in October of AD 312. Tradition holds that it was prior to this battle that Constantine had a vision that would lead to both his victory over Maxentius and his conversion to Christianity."

 

That leaves us with the VIRT EXERC type, #31. Here is another coin from CNG. The reverse is described as "Sol standing half-left in center of plan of Roman camp."



Another scarce type. I did have a chance to examine a very nice example of this coin at last year's Gettysburg show. But that's as close as I've come to owning one.

 

OK, moving right along. Here are some more buildings, ships, crosses, and wreaths. Obviously some of these overlap - we've already had a few galley types. There is no need to re-post earlier coins, just add examples of the new types.

And let's post ONLY the specific types listed in the diagram. I realize there are many more wreath and cross types. We'll get to them eventually.

 

OK . I'll start with # 57 from Thessalonica.

 

I'm afraid I only have one coin to contribute here, but it's a nice one.

#44

This reverse type shows the emperor leading a child from a hut in the woods. It has generally been interpreted to signify the Romans leading barbarians into the light of civilization, but it may be a specific reference to the resettlement of Christian Goths in AD 328.

 

I think this Cross within a wreath pertains to # 52.

 

Yes, and a very nice example.

 

=> Wow JA, I really like Warren's cool coin!!

 

Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, acquiring one may not be a reasonable hope, at least for me. From Warren's notes...

"Note for collectors: This type is very rare and in great demand. A nice example will cost more than a two thousand dollars. At most times there will be none on the market and when the next one appears, which might be year or more off, it is likely to appear in major auctions."