An uncommon coin of a very common emperor

No, it has not been posted yet. It is a FEL TEMP REPARATIO type with the emperor standing and only one captive (and no "Hut").

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

That's the one from Thessalonica, isn't it? I might still have one of those, but I don't have a photo of it. I'll check this weekend. If I do, I'll photograph it and post it unless someone beats me to it.

 

I see I have one also. I have it labeled as Constantius II, 330-348 AD.

 

Here's mine. It took a while to find an OK one, and definitely tough to find one much better. Maybe someone has one?



This is RIC VIII Thessalonica 178, issued in 351 AD, maybe in response to Constantius' initial victory over Magnentius at the Battle of Mursa in the neighboring province of Pannonia.

There's a fun kind of symmetry to a rare FEL TEMP type, RIC VIII Lyons 108, issued by Magnentius from Lyons in 350 AD, after he had just donned the purple in nearby Autun.

 

I think it's possible that this was really just Rome's version of the "phonenix on rocky mound" as issued by other mints. Tory's coin makes it look more nest-like than mound-like, but that's not always true.

Here's a larger photo of "Tory's coin" from WildWinds, from whoever bought it.



And here's one from Vienna looking much more mound-like.



Compare to Vienna's one from Aquileia considered just as a mound.



I've not been able to find any reference to it, but there must be come mythalogical basis to this association of the phoenix with a rocky perch/nest. Here's a 5thC AD mosaic in the Louvre, taken from Antioch, depicting the same scene.

 

@Heliodromus, I've never seen that Magnentius FEL TEMP before. Nice coin.

Just to muddy the waters a little, here's a couple (worn, beat up) REPARATIO FEL TEMPs of Procopius (son of Precocius?). Hey, Latin experts, how does changing the order of the words affect the meaning?

(Bronze) AE III
Cyzicus mint, A.D. 365-366
Obv: D N PROCO-PIVS P F AVG
Rev: REPARATI-O FEL TEMP - Emperor standing, facing right, holding labarum in right hand and resting left hand on shield
SMKB in exergue
RIC 9
16mm, 2.2g


As above, but RIC 7 (left-facing bust)
17mm, 2.7g

 

Here is the other FEL TEMP REPARATIO type of Constantius II that is not common:



24 mm. 5.78 grams.
Emperor standing left, holding Victory on globe and standard with chi-rho on left, captive below.
Γ ✳
✳TSB•
RIC VIII 178 variety (Γ is not listed there, but it is for 172 which has a ✳ after TSB where 178 has a •, a minor difference).

This type is only from Thessalonica. It was struck after Vetranio, with Gallus.

In 1933 Harold Mattingly wrote an article "FEL. TEMP. REPARATIO" which was reprinted by Attic Books in 1977 (long before pdfs were on the web). Surprisingly, although intended to be comprehensive, it fails to list or illustrate this type, which is some evidence of its rarity.

 

Yes - scroll up a little!

 

Thought I'd throw in a silver type. Not the best ... but these are tough to find.

Constantius II AR Siliqua, Arelate mint
Obv: (Anepigraphic); Bust right with eyes turned upwards
Rev: CONSTANTIVS AVGVSTVS; Victory advancing left holding wreath and palm, C(dot)S in exergue

 

picture is dead!

 

Thank you. It is now fixed.

 

I think this type is not the most uncommon but not exactly common too:
Emperor Constantius II. - CONCORDIA MILITVM - Minted under the "usurper" Vetranio in Siscia

 

Here's another uncommon reverse type of Constantius II. The reverse legend refers to Constantine I's vision of the cross before his battle with Maxentius.

(Bronze) AE3
Siscia mint, A.D. 350
Obv: D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG
Rev: HOC SIG-NO VICTOR ERIS - Emperor, standing, facing left, holding labarum (standard with Chi-Rho) being crowned by Victory
•ΓSIS✳ in exergue; A in left field
RIC 291
21mm, 3.8g.

 

And here's a similar coin to that of @Valentinian: Rome, 348-50. Ae, 4.14 gr. 22 mm. 12 h. RIC 154.

 

Here's my, rather scruffy, phoenix on rocky mound, holding a branch in its talons:

Constantius II,
A.D. 337 - 361
AE3
Rome mint, A.D. 348-350
RIC 141 (Var., with branch)
Obv: D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG.
Rev: FEL TEMP REPARATIO - Phoenix, radiate, standing, facing right, on rocky mound, holding branch in talons.
R[T?] in exergue
19 mm, 2.6g

 

And here's mine. Same issue as yours, but pearl diadem, so RIC 153.

 

Beautiful coin! Any idea what the exact population of this issue is?

 

Here is a web page with a type set of AE for Constantius II:

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/ConstantiusII/ConstantiusII.html

The tables could be printed off for a list if you are interested.

Here is one of my favorites from that page:



VICT DD NN AVG ET CAES
two Victories hold shield inscribed VOT XXX,
chi-rho above.

Only at Rome.
This example: 21-20 mm. RIC VIII Rome 251-2 "R2"

This type is very rare and seldom offered. It is an adaptation of a similar type of Magnentius and Decentius which has VOT/V/MVLT/X. This type has, instead, VOT/XXX.

 

Beautiful coin, and thanks for the help! That web page is fantastic; any idea if there are similar sites for different periods of coinage? I have found that WildWinds is great for general identification, but the level of detail on the site you recommended was very helpful for my needs.

Anyways, here is mine:



RIC VIII Thessalonica 178, R1

Also, are you familiar with what this type and other less common designs in the FEL TEMP REPARATIO series have sold for historically? I have been searching for auction and sale records, however I haven't had much success, likely due to the rarity of these pieces.

 

some auctions with price realized








same coin as the first example...it went unsold this time with an opening of 30 pounds.






some more without prices realized







and two that I sold recently