I am still phorographing and processing my coins from late December. I am still waiting for some more coins to arrive....... Here is a montage of the fallen horsemen I have just finished showing their comparative sizes. They are mainly run of the mill stuff. I like the details of a couple of them though:- Constantius II - AE2 Obv:– D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, Pearl diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right, A behind bust Rev:– FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Helmeted soldier to left, shield on left arm, spearing falling horseman; shield on ground at right. Horseman is bearded and falls forward clutching horse's neck Minted in Antioch (G | _ //ANS). Reference:- RIC VIII Antioch 135 Constantius II - AE2 Obv:– D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, Pearl diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right, A behind bust Rev:– FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Helmeted soldier to left, shield on left arm, spearing falling horseman; shield on ground at right. Horseman is seated on the ground reaching towards emperor Minted in Lugdunum (A | _ //SLG*) Reference:- RIC VIII Lugdunum 102 It's not all horsemen though.... I have added another Emperor standing on captive type. Another emperor and two captives A phoenix on globe and some of them aren't FEL TEMP types Constantius II - AE2 Obv:– D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, Pearl diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right (A behind bust, star before) Rev:– HOC SIG-NO VICTOR ERIS, Constantius standing left, holding labarum, being crowned by Victory Minted in Siscia (A | _ //Dot GSIS Dot). Struck under Vetranio, 350 AD. Reference:- RIC VIII Siscia 286 (S)
Thanks Martin: it is fun seeing the various styles and relative sizes of this Type. That Phoenix / Globe reverse is very nice.
This coin set perfectly shows how much damage Constantius II's and Magnentius's civil war in 351CE did to the Roman economy. Constantius would also reduce the weight of Siliquae by 1/3 in 355. Lovely coins btw! Keep em' coming!
Wonderful detail on these coins. I like to imagine I can see poor barbarian's facial expression as he stares down that spear on that Lugdunum AE2.
A while back I watched a documentary on the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon ship burial and its famous helmet (reconstructed in the photo). The documentary made a passing reference to the Roman motif of the soldier spearing a fallen barbarian. The documentary implied that this coinage reverse type enjoys an “afterlife” as one of the tin panels on the helmet. I wonder about tracing such influence, or if this is just what it looks like when people get trampled by horses in war. Nonetheless, it was a provocative early medieval (7th c.) connection to this reverse type.
That is simply an outstanding lot of FH! You have yourself a nice hoard of coins to keep you busy for a while!
Good lot but I'll be difficult and ask what made the Antioch shop 13 attractive to you? Was it that it was a high shop number? I have seen more good ones with lower numbers. RIC assigns rarity numbers by the type not separating the shop but I suspect it would be hard to assemble a set of 15 AE2, gamma standard Antioch in attractive condition. My best high numbers are 12 and 14: For those who want to play in the Horseman pond: The hard mints are Amiens and Trier. Please show the ones you have. Gallus is a mite harder to find than Constantius II. I lack the Constans horseman from Trier. No one has an Amiens Constans since the mint opened after his death. Amiens (Note the distinctive way the hair is bound at the neck. This allow ID of coins without mintmarks or those you might think are Antioch ANB rather than AMB.) Trier Amiens Gallus Trier Gallus
It was indeed a cheap example of a high officina number. I am missing Amiens and Trier and very much regret spending too long considering a VF+ example of Constantius from Amiens earlier this year which was gone by the time I went back to buy it. I have only recently taken an interest in these and am continuing to learn and acquire.
A nice haul. You already know I like the Arles. The Lugdunum is a neat one too. Here is my Amiens. As rough as it is, it's one of my favorites. I think I have 2 Trier, but the other shows no mint, so I'll just post this one.
It is not more desirable unless you are trying to fill the set or show that Antioch mint used more workshops than other cities. 99% of collectors would rather have a EF from a common mint than a coin like the Trier and Amiens examples shown above. Some of the 1% folks post here.
Great OP photo showing the relative sizes. I, too, have always found the FEL TEMP coins interesting. (Hence, the name of my personal web site: feltemp.com). So many interesting types: fallen horseman, phoenix, emperor on galley, emperor leading barbarian, emperor with captives. (On coins from Thessalonica there is only one captive; why is this?) According to RIC there is also an emperor on horseback type, but I've never been able to track one down. Not my coin; the photo is from Wildwinds. "Constantius II, AE3, Rome. DN CONSTAN-TIVS PF AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust left, holding globe, N behind head. FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Emperor nimbate and in military dress, with shield on left arm, on horseback galloping right, thrusting his spear at two barbarians wearing pointed Phrygian helmets, who kneel before him with their arms raised towards him. Mintmark RT RIC VIII Rome 153, rated R2. Helios Numismatik, ebay sale, Feb. 2012." I've often wondered if, taken together, the FEL TEMP coins are intended to tell a single epic story.