Ancients: Another Falling Horseman

My newest coin is another falling horseman only a little different from another I have but appealing enough to me to add it rather than replace an earlier coin.

Constantius Gallus, Aquilea mint, third workshop (AQT), wreath in rx field RIC 198p333

The thing that makes this issue special is the LXXII in the reverse field indicating that 72 of these were struck from a Roman pound (328.9g)of metal. This coin is very slightly heavy at 4.63g compared to the 4.56g theoretical weight but these standards were applied al marco which means that individual coins were not weighed but batches were made so that the total of 72 of them would be a pound. The question may be why this one issue was marked but others were not. I find interest in the way the long Roman numeral overlapped the soldier's arm on this die. The horseman has a beard and an odd looking stocking cap (or is it braided hair???).

I find it odd that I have three Gallus LXXII coins but none of Constantius II. Thanks to the CT friend who tipped me off that this coin was available.

My previous Aquileia lacks the wreath in the reverse field.

In addition to Aquileia, LXXII coins are known from Siscia.


Post any coins that have indication of the number of them to be struck from a certain weight of metal. There are others but this is the cheap one and all I have.

 

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I have non of Gallus but one of Constantius II lol. I really should get a nicer pic of this one.



D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right, A behind/ FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO soldier spearing falling enemy horseman, hair straight up, reaching backwards, LXXII to left, S between AQS in ex.
RIC Aquileia 193

 

Neat, didnt even know some had numbers like that. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled a bit more.

 

That is really cool Doug. I also didn't know there were issues with the numbers on them. The details are fantastic on your new pick up.

 

Ditto.
This place is a wealth of information.

 

Similar to watching Caracalla grow up on coins, it's interesting watching the transition and changing of the Falling Horseman coins. I have one nearly the size of a half dollar and one about the size of an eraser.

 

Very nice coin....I am learning fast!

 

ditto ...ditto...didn't know it either...interesting.

DS's coin really has some nice details on the reverse also.

 

Gorgeous eye-appeal and super interesting coin (total winner, my friend)

=> congrats!!

 

I didn't know some coins were marked like this. Very interesting, nice finds!

 

The wreath looks like the horseman has a lasso!

 

Cool coin and legend!

 

Here is one of Constantius II:

22 mm. 4.03 grams. RIC Siscia 334 (said there to typically weigh about 4.25 grams).

 

My Siscia is 4.2g and the two Aquileia are 4.6 and 4.7 which are closer to the theoretical 1/72 pound.

 

Constantius Gallus
21 mm. 5.43 grams. RIC Siscia 335.
This heavier one shows weights were not very consistent.

 

Very nice coin Doug. I like the detail in the hair on the portrait. I also find the roman numeral marking on the reverse and its significance very interesting.

I have one Constantius Gallus fallen horseman. No numbers on this one. But there is some kind of mark in the field between the soldier and the horseman located roughly where the numerals are on your example. I've often wondered what its significance is. Maybe a star or officina letter of some kind?

Constantius Gallus; 351-54 AD
Bronze; AE , Centenionalis; 22mm/6.1g ; Heraclea mint
OBV: DN CONSTAN-TIVS NOB C, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right
REV: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, soldier spearing fallen horseman SMHB in ex
(Sear 4055)

 

That is Gamma.....the third letter in the Greek alphabet.
The mintmark on your coin appears to be SMHA making it a coin minted at Heraclea, there appears to be an A or Delta following it, which could make it the product of either the 1st or 4th workshop at that mint. I hope someone will correct me on this if its a little shaky, because am only just getting into the workshop/mint attribution.........Doouuuugggggg!!!!!

 

YOC is correct regarding the SMHA. In this case the gamma is a coded weight standard but exactly how the code works, I do not understand. On other coins we see the Greek numbers A through E with each successive letter appearing on smaller and smaller coins (A's are larger). Gamma is the most common of these so I would guess that the gamma standard was in place for a longer time. In that same location there are also coins with an S which I do not take as part of the same code series but probably indicating a semis or half. True, S could be the numeral 6 but those coins are larger than the E (scarcer series). All this is great until one mint (Thessalonica) put out one series with letters A through E in that location indicating officinae. All these are the same size and the mintmark in exergue does not have an officina. Each mint seemed to be free to use their own system of shop numbering and some changed the way they did it along the way. The last field letter used was M and those coins are really small. There are a few coins with two different letters on the two sides of the coin and many with no field letter. There is opportunity here for someone to spend a lifetime studying these. There are about 2200 varieties of the falling horsemen and the study would require examining and weighing many specimens of each. I am not a specialist but have quite a few.
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/fh.html
The best assemblage belongs to Dane:
http://www.catbikes.ch/helvetica/feltemps.htm

Serious studies of late Roman coins are not common. The task is huge.

 

How many do you have that are not pictured on that page?

 

I cant get over the detail on the first coin posted - incredible surface and strike, just gorgeous. Is it uncirculated? Looks mint...