JA's LRB's

Nice!

 

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Being a short person, I have a tendency to go for phoenices of conservative stature.

 

My less than perfect examples (actually, my ONLY examples)


CONSTANS
AE3
OBVERSE: CONSTANS P F AVG - Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: FEL TEMP REPARATIO Exe: /AN - Phoenix standing right on globe
Struck at Antioch 337-350AD
2.9g, 18mm
RIC 131


CONSTANS
AE3
OBVERSE: CONSTANS P F AVG - Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
REVERSE: FEL TEMP REPARATIO Exe: SIS• - Phoenix, radiate, standing right on pile of ashes.
Struck at Siscia 348-350 AD
2.7g, 20mm
RIC 232

 

That's pretty interesting.

 

I agree. The first two were clearly meant to deceive. Unless you take a good look at the misspellings and mismatched sides, they are quite deceptive because the style is good. I have the feeling that a trained engraver at the mint was bolstering his salary on the side.

The third is clearly the work of an amateur, and for that reason, curiously, the coin was probably legitimate in areas where official mint distributions were sparse.

 

The commemorative phoenix types come in two major varieties, struck by both Constans and Constantius II: on mound and on globe.



As Doug and Bing's posts show, they come in a number of minor varieties, some short, some tall, some mounds have more stones than others, and the globes have various types of decoration, or none. There are even some extremely rare phoenix-left versions.

These had a limited run, being commemoratives, and despite what RIC says, they are scarce in collectible grades. If you come across any nice ones, they're always worth acquiring in my opinion.

 

Nice Alexandrian campgate of Constantine I. That is all.

 

I got a nice Constantine I campgate recently (actually many of them) I think this one has the same attribution as yours-- if that last letter on mine is indeed a B.


Constantine I
Alexandria, CE 325-326
RIV VII Alexandria 34

Dane's spreadsheets are incredible! I bought a mixed lot of LRBs thinking it was time to learn a little about using RIC. Her spreadsheets are unbelievably helpful.

 

Yeah, those spreadsheets are totally awesome. It's also good to double check the RIC books once you find that reference number.

 

Nice! Looks like B to me - only two officinae issued this series. Our coins are the common ones. Two more series after that had combinations of wreaths and letters in the reverse fields. Those are rare.

 

Constantine I campgate?

Ummmm ... I have an example, but it is far more humble when it's compared against your sweet examples (but I still love it!!)




... oh, but it does have opening doors

 

It's not at all humble. That variety is very scarce, and you have a great example.

 

here's a descent valentinian i coin i picked up in a small lot recently, kind of a "meh" coin...but i'll keep it.



i have 2 other valentinian emporer dragging captive coins, but from the siscia mint....

 

here's another from the same lot, as common as these are..i didn't have one until now. this was one of the coin i was going after in the group.
a respectable cheapie example.


Constantine I, 307-337 AD
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG R: SOLI INVICTO COMITI, Sol, R - F flanking at sides, R*P in exergue Rome mint RIC VII Rome 19 19 mm, 3.0 g

 

Take a gander at this little "hand of God" commem. I don't usually like buying coins without mint marks, but I found this one charming for its excellent strike and surfaces. One rarely sees the details so sharp. It's "perfectly" off-center, if there is such a thing...

 

By being off center the way it is, the hand of God is very visible and well struck. Nice coin.

 

Nice! Guess it is about as well off center as it could be.

 

He seems to be raising his head and trying to catch the Snowflake of God on his tongue.

 

I'm too lazy to research it at the moment, but I don't see stars on all of these types. There may be a way to at least narrow down the mint by variety.

 

Don't be lazy. Just turn to page 45 in your Bruck.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Bruck
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/book.html#bruck


http://www.amazon.com/Late-Roman-Bronze-Coinage-attribution/dp/1502926016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442970218&sr=8-1&keywords=bruck late
Who is the JohnZ that reviewed it on Amazon?