Valentinian, The reverse of your OP coin is stunningly artful and not something that I would have expected from this period. What a great start for a thread!
Anecdotally speaking, I think this phoenix type is a little scarcer than the other main fel temp issues (barbarian hut/galley/fallen horseman). Can't prove it though. I just know I have several of the other types but few of this one. There's a find frequency study somewhere...
I think they are a little more scarce as well. CONSTANS AE3 OBVERSE: CONSTANS P F AVG - Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right REVERSE: FEL TEMP REPARATIO Exe: /AN - Phoenix standing right on globe Struck at Antioch 337-350AD 2.9g, 18mm RIC 131 CONSTANS AE3 OBVERSE: CONSTANS P F AVG - Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. REVERSE: FEL TEMP REPARATIO Exe: SIS• - Phoenix, radiate, standing right on pile of ashes. Struck at Siscia 348-350 AD 2.7g, 20mm RIC 232
Great coins all. Definitely harder to find the Phoenix type. They only minted them early on I assume. I just got this one in the mail today D N CONSTA-NS P F AVG: Bust of Constans, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed, right FEL TEMP REPARATIO: Phoenix, radiate, standing right on globe, star right ALEA in ex RIC
Here is another one, from my collection (I think further up somebody posted the sales catalog picture already).
This one is interesting. I think this type of barbarian is scarcer than others. I think contemporaries would have been able to identify the different barbarians depicted on the reverse. Most often the barbarian is meant to depict Persians (Parthians), recognizable by their distinctive trousers. I think this one may have been meant to be a Goths or other Germanic tribesman.
This "barbarian", I think, was meant to depict a Parthian. See his decorated trousers, which can also be seen on Roman mosaics.
This one was in my view definitely meant to depict a Germanic tribesman. The barbarian is bare-chested and only wearing trousers. I like the portrait with the emperor holding the globe, which is scarcer than the usual bust.
This is one is very nice too. A beautiful portrait of Constantius II. The two barbarians are "easterners", they are wearing the Phrygian cap.
Great FTRs, I love the OP coin and Tojas' ones are wonderful Of course Randy is the master at them Constans, AE2 Rome mint, 1st officina D N CONSTA NS P F AVG, draped and diademed bust left, holding globe in right hand FEL.TEMP.REPARATIO, Virtus walking right dragging captive out of his hut. R*P at exergue 4.2 gr Ref : Cohen # 19, LRBC # 604 Constantius II, AE2 Antioch mint, 1st officina D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, draped and pearl diademed bust right FEL TEMP RE PARATIO, fallen horseman, Gamma in field, ANA at exergue 4.88 gr Ref : RCV # 18171, Cohen # 46, RIC # 132, LRBC # 2623 Q
The reason for the Phoenix being scarcer is obvious with a little thought. The FTR series began with three denominations. The Phoenix was the smallest; the Horseman was the largest and there were more than one middle types but all have the portrait bust left so you can tell them apart. Inflation soon made the smallest ones useless and caused the large ones to go on a series of weight reductions. After a while, the mid size also disappeared leaving the Falling Horseman alone and much reduced in size. Soon after the horseman also fell to inflation, Julian II did a currency reform and started over with a new basic unit with bull reverse. Shortly before his death, Constantius II killed the last horseman and replaced it with a light weight solo soldier type but without the FEL TEMP REPARATIO legend. Roman coins were expected to have a metal value matching their purchasing power. If we, today, followed those same rules, our 2017 Lincoln cent would be hard to see without a microscope. Constantius and Constans seemed to disagree on the designs for the middle denomination so we see more of one style from mints controlled by one brother and more of another from the other. Each struck coins for the other so we do get each type for each brother but you will find some more common for one and others for the other. The book Bruck, Late Roman Bronze Coinage is good to explain this.
This one is a bit unusual with the large letter N in the reverse legend. I wonder what this N stands for.
On this piece the emperor's standard shows a Staurogram. The standard can show three Christian symbols: cross, christogram (chi-rho) and staurogram (rho-cross). I thing the staurogram is the scarcest variant.