Constantine the Great Votive

I got distracted again!

I haven't bought any LRB votives or campgates for years but when I saw three decent but common examples for sale at a very good price I couldn't resist.

Coin #1

Constantine the Great - Follis (AE3)
Obv: CONSTAN-TINVS AVG, laureate head right.
Rev: D N CONSTANTINI MAX AVG, VOT XX crescent in three lines within wreath, dot in centre
Minted in Ticinum (//ST)
RIC VII Ticinum 167



I thought the portrait was really appealing, the details are great, the surfaces are good and there is lots of silvering which has developed a golden sheen. OK it has a flan crack but I can live with that.

 

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Coin #2

Constantine the Great - Follis (AE3)
Obv: CONSTAN-TINVS AVG, laureate head right.
Rev: D N CONSTANTINI MAX AVG, VOT XXX in two lines within wreath
Minted in Heraclea (//SMHG dot)
Reference:- RIC VII Heraclea 082



Some minor pitting on the portrait but still a sharp coin. Another flan crack but plenty of subdued silvering.

 

Coin #3

Constantine the Great - Follis (Ae3)
Obv:– CONSTANTINVS AVG, Laureate head right
Rev:– PROVIDENTIAE AVGG, Campgate with six rows, two turrets, no doors, star above, top and bottom rows blocks.
Minted in Thessalonica. • in right field, SMTSE in exe.
Reference:– RIC VII Thessalonica 153



A common enough campgate but nice and sharp

 

The Bruck threads seem to be having an effect on people. There's going to be a run on LRBs.

Those are all very sharp examples, certainly worthy of coming home with you.

 

Wow, Martin => great score (all three of those babies are lovely!!)

... very cool, dark, rugged eye-appeal (they look minty fresh!!)

=> sweet distraction, my friend

 

For years I avoided late Romans with 'ordinary' reverses in the belief that they were 'beneath me' but I outgrew that and realized there is a lot more to these issues than we generally admit. These three show distinctly different styles representative of their mints. If you get into these, you tend to find a favorite. Mine is Rome.

 

Beautiful coins, Martin. These votive and campgate types are under-appreciated, perhaps because they don't have the most exciting reverse designs? But you can find them in very high grades at low prices. My campgate has a strike-through error on the obverse legend...

 

Doug,
I understand exactly what you mean. I bought loads of these whilst "learning may way" into ancients and they now lie largely discarded and ignored. I saw these three, starting with the Ticinum and recognised each of them by their style.
I am starting to learn to appreciate them again.
Martin

 

Love the detail on all three. Perhaps I need to get mine out and learn to appreciate them once again.

 

The details are fantastic...however 'common', I think they are terrific examples...and i seem to favor the Rome mint as well--but even started a mini-series of the various mints I could find---the problem seemed to be availability and high grade...but now I have 'piles' of them LOL...and I often give them to the younger members of my extended family hoping they will catch the Ancient collecting bug--my current expanding collection has to end up somewhere...

Great posts guys!!

 

Very nice Martin, love the awesome details...

My Constantine l very close, yours ST mine TT..



My campgate Constantine ll is the Bugs Bunny variety..

 

Nice additions, Martin.

Mine:

 

Fantastic detail on the trio Martin. And excellent pieces all.

 

Now THAT'S what a beautiful, natural desert patina should look like!

 

Wonderful coins! I overlooked a lot of LRBs when I started collecting. I wonder what I missed picking up. I still skip Valens and Valentinian coins lol.

 

double post

 

This coin is of Constantius, but I couldn't guess whose one?

 

As everyone, I have a favorite among those otherwise considered as "minor" coins by many


Constantine the great, AE 3 struck in Rome, 2nd officina
CONSTANTINVS AVG, Laureate head of Constantine right
D N CONSTANTINI MAX AV, VOT XXX in a laurel wreath, RS at exergue
2.93 gr
Ref : Cohen #129, RC #3874 var

Q

 

Gorgeous coin, Q!

 

I'm going to add a very humble coin to this thread, on account of the votive theme. This is a scarce AE4 of Gratian. I won it for dirt cheap on eBay because really, who in their right mind would want such a boring little coin? And it's got one of those glossy patinas that's difficult to image. Still, it's a nice grade for the type...