Hello fellow Ancient collectors. Since there are many Constantine mints, does anyone collect them by mint marks.? If so May I see some. Also how many mints are there that produced Constantine coins? Rich, the humble Mammothtooth
Mints that issued coins of Constantine: London, Trier, Lugdunum (Lyons), Arelate (Arles), Ticinum, Aquileia, Rome, Ostia, Carthage, Siscia, Sirmium, Serdica, Thessalonica, Heraclea, Constantinople, Nicomedia, Cyzicus, Antioch and Alexandria.
Here's the first coin for Constantine, issued from London...with no mintmark though. Constantine I A.D. 306 28mm 9.1g CONSTANTINVS NOBILI C; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. GENIO POPVLI ROMANI; Genius standing left, tower on head, loins draped, r. holding patera, l. cornucopiae. RIC VI London 66; LMCC 4.04.009 Ex Rauceby Hoard and one with a mintmark Constantine I A.D. 307 29mm 9.3g FL VAL CONSTANTINVS NOB C; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. GENIO POP ROM; Genius standing left, tower on head, loins draped, r. holding patera, l. cornucopiae. In ex. PLN RIC VI London 89b; LMCC 5.01.009
Your coin is from Constantinople. I can make out the mintmark CONSH•; but there may also be a • in front.
I dont collect by mintmark but still have gotten coinage from the reign of Constantine of 11 mints now. Some more if we count his sons coinage as they where Caesars under him. The following mints I got: Antioch, Treverorum, Arelate, Ticinum, Aquileia, Rome, Ostia, Constantinople, Heraclea, Nicomedia, Cyzikus If counting the coinage minted for his sons under him I could add Siscia and Thessalonica
Here's my favorite Constantine from Carthage Constantine I A.D. 307 26mm 6.9g CONSTANTINVS NOB CAES; laureate head right CONSERVATORES KART SVAE; Carthage standing facing, head left, holding fruits in both hands, within hexastyle temple with plain pediment. In ex. PKΔ RIC VI Carthage 61
Hi @Mammothtooth, Here's an Æ Follis, Alexandria, Egypt (Officina B) 333-335 CE RIC VII, Alexandria, 58 (OFF B) Size: 17x19 mm Weight: 2.33 g Axis: 06:00 Obv: Constantine, draped and cuirased, diadem with rosettes, head facing right. Legend: CONSTANTI-NVSMAXAVG. Dotted border. Rev: Two soldiers each holding spear and sheild heads turned to face each other standing either side of labarum. Legend: GLOR-IAEXERC-ITVS. In exergue: SMALB. Dotted border. - Broucheion
It may be silly to some to talk about “fine style” for those folles since the obverse portraits are often so brutally standardized. But that portrait of Constantine is somewhat delicate and expressive. It seems unusual to me.
Yes, it is a pretty life-like portrait, very similar to Rome; which Carthage must have copied. Here is my favorite Constantine from Siscia. Constantine I A.D. 318-19 19mm 2.9g IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; laureate helmet and cuirassed bust right with spear across right shoulder and shield/ buckler on left. VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP; two Victories stg., facing one another, together holding shield [wreath] inscribed VOT PR on altar. in ex. ΓSIS RIC VII Siscia – Not in RIC for this bust
Wow, all it took was a Constantine thread to bring this place back to life! Not exactly what you may have meant, though it was struck under Constantine in the name of his son Crispus. Crispus AE3 Follis (3.14g, 19mm, 6h), Londinium, 320 CE. Obv: CRISPVS NOBIL C. Helmeted cuirassed bust right. Rev: VIRTVS EXERCIT. Vexillum with VOT XX banner, two captives seated back-to-back at base. Ex: PLON. PLON. Ref: RIC 188; Cloke & Toone 9.02.016 (this coin illustrated). Prov: Ex DiMarzo Collection, purchased from Lee Toone; Cloke/Toone Collections. Only see-through vexillum I've ever noticed!
Here's a Constantine from Rome, issued shortly after Constantine defeated Maxentius. Constantine I A.D. 312- 313 21mm 4.7g IMP C CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; laureate and cuirassed bust right. HERCVLI VICTORI; Hercules standing right, leaning on club and holding Victory on globe and lion’s skin. In ex. R S RIC VI Rome 299 Workshop not in RIC ex- Dattari
Oh, my favorite mintmark of all (I collect Roman "captives coinage"). The two captives back-to-back for Lugdunum (Lyons), c. 320 CE: Note: Victor Clark also points out the context of Crispus’ ongoing wars against the Franks and Alamanni, c. 318-320. It sounds very likely that these campaigns against Germanic tribes are being referenced.
Here is a Constantine from Sirmium. This reverse type was only issued for Constantine and only from the London, Lyon, Trier, Arles and Sirmium mints. Constantine I A.D. 324-325 18x20mm 3.1g CONSTAN-TINVS AVG; laureate head right. SARMATIA DEVICTA; Victory advancing r., holding trophy, palm branch, spurning captive (note the foot firmly on his back) std. on ground to right. in ex. SIRM RIC VII Sirmium 48 “When Constantine learned that the Sarmatians, who live near Lake Maeotis, had sailed across the Danube and were pillaging his territory, he led his army against them…he killed many, took more prisoners and put the rest to flight.” Zosimus 2:21