I recently made my first ancient purchase. @Valentinian had posted a few coins for sale and I knew I had to have this one as soon as I saw it. An ae of Constantine II from the Siscia mint... Sorry if the pics are a bit rough... a camera phone and a hand tremor are a bad combination.
Sharp details, that's a nice lookin' LRB @cwart goood choice for a first ancient!! Here's a nicely silvered Constantine II VOT of mine, I forgot I had this coin! Constantine II as Caesar (317-337 AD) Obv./ CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust left. Rev./ CAESARVM NOSTRORVM around VOT X within wreath, TSBVI in ex. 19 mm 2.9g
Very cool coin chrsmat. The detail and strike were what drew me to the coin in the first place, the modern collector in me still needs that. Lol
Nice first Ancient @cwart CONSTANTINE II AE Follis OBVERSE: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB CAES, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right REVERSE: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM, laurel wreath around VOT X, GSIS(sunburst) in ex. Struck at Siscia 321-4 AD 2.90g. 18 mm RIC VII 182,G
A wonderful first purchase! This is about the closest you can get to that type with the Flavians. Vespasian AR Denarius, 3.40g Ephesus mint, 70 AD RIC 1414 (R3). BMC - . RSC - . RPC 822 (1 spec.). Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPAS AVG COS II TR P P P; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: AVG and BY in oak wreath Ex Harry N. Sneh Collection. Rome struck a wreath with SPQR within, but I find these Ephesian wreaths more elegant.
Lovely coin and a pretty good photo, too! Here's one of mine, a campgate reverse of Constantine II from the Heraclea mint:
That's a really nice first coin and a good buy from Valentinian, he has sold many nice coins. One day I will get some too when my finances improve. I believe your reverse type legend translates to "Our Caesar vows five years of service." Here is my coin which has a left facing bust. Roman Imperial, Constantine II as Caesar AE3, (320-321 AD), Aquileia mint, 2.5g, 17mm Obverse: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB, Laureate, draped & cuirassed bust left. Reverse: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM, VOT V in wreath, dot in badge at top of wreath. AQT dot in ex. "Our Caesar vows five years of service." Reference: RIC VII Aquileia 95v
Great coin from a great seller, @cwart! And more importantly, welcome to the dark side!! Just you wait, before long you'll be lusting after coins that look like this (also acquired from @Valentinian): Strike and detail are not this coin's strong point.
Nice first Ancients purchase @cwart ! And welcome to the Ancients Forum. Is your name pronounced QUART or See-Wart? I hope you will find the folks in the Ancients threads knowledgeable and helpful. Rather than a more formal environment, I find it looser and very friendly exchange of knowledge and ideas. Great stuff and a lotta fun. Personally, I got out of boring machine manufactured Moderns 30 years ago. I began collecting Ancients about 25 years ago as they satisfy my passion for Ancient Histories. They give me a tangible tie to critical junctures in Human History... fun for me. Ergo, I am not as concerned with the Numismatics of Ancient coins, but more as placeholders in time. Sooo... I love circulated wear (proof of usage in human transactions) My Constantine II's: RI Constantine II 337-340 CE AE3 GLORIA EXERCITVS Glory to the Army 2 Soldiers 2 Standards RI Constantine II 337-340 CE AE3 VOT X