My first ancient - Constantius II Falling Horseman

Well guys, after a modicum of research (of which Doug Smith's page on these coins was instrumental) I've ventured into ancients with no small amount of temerity. I believe this is FH3, or a variation thereof, but I can't for the life of me distinguish the mint - all the different varieties amount to information overload at this point. If anyone could help me with that I would be grateful...






If I've made a complete blunder purchasing this coin, I've only set myself back by seven dollars. I figured I'd wade into the shallow end of the pool very slowly.

 

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Nice first coin. The mint looks like Siscia (SIS)

 

That was my first thought - it seemed obvious because of the SIS, but I wasn't certain if that perhaps meant something else. The bust doesn't jibe with any of the Siscian varieties that I looked at, but of course I didn't look at that many...

 

For $7 you did well. Remember, every mint had several workshops. All cutting dies and striking coins. It is very difficult to find die matches, let alone identical portraits. I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the mintmark on your coin may have a letter or control mark before and after the "SIS". Can you tell with the coin in hand?

 

Here is an example of one of mine from Siscia with ASIS Zigzag mintmark. Yours looks like a dot before SIS

 

I don't have the coin in hand - it's on its way. There does appear to be a "d" before the mint mark - what would that signify?

I do notice the open-top "A"s in the word REPARATIO, which Doug mentions on his page. Is that a Siscian idiosyncrasy, or do you find it on coins from other mints?

 

Hello John,

Before the 'SIS' is a 'B' (Beta) indicating officinae or workshop number 2 - A (Alpha) would represent 1.

You probably have something after the 'SIS' also but cant quite make it out, maybe Delta? This last symbol is often called a series indicator and simply serves to allow manufactured coins to be traced back to a batch or time.

 

that's a nice first ancient john

 

​Nice "Fallen Horseman."

 

I would definitely agree with you OP to wade slowly in. There is a whole other learning curve to travel with ancients, best to not risk too much money until you have a better understanding of the field.

 

Chris, what would be a reputable source if I wanted to acquire the Fallen Horsemen in higher grades?

 

Take a look on Vcoins or numismall. Usually reliable sources.

 

5 of the 16 mints of the Fallen Horseman.

 

Kinda hard for me to answer that question man.

PM me if you want an answer.

 

Those are marvelous, Ripley. Thanks for posting them. I like the second one the best on account of toning which accentuates the image. I've heard that called "desert" toning - does that refer to sandy color alone, or does it actually have something to do with the coin being in a desert?

 

Thanks John I am trying to get an example from all 16 mints. I currently have 6. Its one of my favorite ancient series. Desert toning = coins found in extreme dry climates, take on that shade.

 

I would HIGLY encourage anyone interested in this series to check out our own Doug Smith's website and his article on these. Very informative and brings the series more to life.

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/fh.html

 

I've been poring over that site extensively. It's what prompted me to make my first acquisition.

 

I always thought this song fits "FEL TEMP REPARTIO"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCmkZFMSuFQ

 

Nice coins for sure