Constantine I---London Mint

It is complicated. We discuss these issues fully in our new book.


The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine


by Hubert J Cloke and Lee Toone

‘The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine by Hubert J Cloke and Lee Toone now available from Spink priced at £50. A short piece about the book was published in the recent Spink ‘Insider’ magazine and is available for download on their website where the book can also be ordered.

It is also available in the US from Charles Davies on VCoins.

‘A comprehensive catalogue and survey of the output of the London mint from AD 296 to 325. From when Constantius invaded Britain to regain the Britannic Empire back from Allectus to its closure in 325 when Constantine began to shift his power base to the East, the London mint was responsible for a vast output of Roman coinage. The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC, volumes VI and VII)) records around 600 types; the authors of this book have increased the number of known types to 1,037 and have illustrated 90% of these with images on plates facing the catalogue tables in sylloge style. They have also provided a hoard census which lists numbers for each type found in four major hoards. This enables an objective rarity value to be assigned to each coin type.’


Lee Toone

www.hookmoor.com

 

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It is complicated. We discuss these issues fully in our new book.


The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine


by Hubert J Cloke and Lee Toone

‘The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine by Hubert J Cloke and Lee Toone now available from Spink priced at £50. A short piece about the book was published in the recent Spink ‘Insider’ magazine and is available for download on their website where the book can also be ordered.

It is also available in the US from Charles Davies on VCoins.

‘A comprehensive catalogue and survey of the output of the London mint from AD 296 to 325. From when Constantius invaded Britain to regain the Britannic Empire back from Allectus to its closure in 325 when Constantine began to shift his power base to the East, the London mint was responsible for a vast output of Roman coinage. The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC, volumes VI and VII)) records around 600 types; the authors of this book have increased the number of known types to 1,037 and have illustrated 90% of these with images on plates facing the catalogue tables in sylloge style. They have also provided a hoard census which lists numbers for each type found in four major hoards. This enables an objective rarity value to be assigned to each coin type.’


Best wishes

Lee Toone

www.hookmoor.com

 

Nice one MZ! I have several London-mint coins but I'll just post my most recent one:

Licinius I, Western Roman Empire
AE follis
Obv: IMP LICINIVS PF AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust right
Rev: SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI, Sol radiate standing left, right hand raised, globe in left hand, chalamys draped over left shoulder, S in left field, F in right field
Mint: London (struck 316-317 AD); Mintmark: MLN (in ex)
Ref: RIC VII 48, rated R2

 

This is not one of my specialties but I think I am correct here. Below are two coins of different 'styles' without mintmarks. I consider the Diocletian to be London and the Constantius to be Lugdunum. Like the vast majority of Roman coins struck before this time, mints are separated by style. In some cases there is only one mint in operation but specialists in any period need to learn the 'look' of the exceptions. It is part of the hobby.

BTW, Pish's four coins are really nice. I consider the style of the Diocletian a bit odd compared to most I have seen but I really like the others. In addition to mints having a style, individuals at the mint have styles and were subject to good days and bad days. That is the fun of ancients compared to hub produced modern dies where varieties are reduced to flyspecks. Ancient variations hit you in the face and seem more obvious after you look at them a while. Some of us even like to play a game trying to find different dies we believe were cut by the same person. The straight laced elite of numismatics have no time for this sort of thing but amateurs who play with coins and type on Coin Talk when we should be doing chores can have fun with the sideroads of our hobby. Was my Diocletian cut by the same person who did Pish's Constantius? I can never prove it. Oh, well!

 

broken nose

 

Other than style what I found was significant differences in the level of silvering on these types.
The 'heavier' silvered examples nearly always conformed to the style associated with Lyon.