Featured Helena style show

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by lrbguy, May 17, 2018.

  1. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Here's one from Nicomedia that seems a bit different from the OP's series 2 and 3 examples, above. Here, Helena is wearing a band-like diadem decorated with what appears to be various jewels:

    Helena SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE Nicomedia Centenionalis.jpg
    Helena, Augusta AD 324-329, issued under Constantine I.
    Roman billon Æ 3 centenionalis, 2.97 g, 18.3 mm.
    Nicomedia, AD 325-326
    Obv: FL HELENA AVG, diademed and mantled bust right with necklace.
    Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE, Securitas standing left, lowering branch, raising robe with right hand; ΝΜΓ in exergue.
    Refs: RIC 129; RCV 16620; LRBC-I 1100; Cohen 12.
     
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  3. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

  4. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member

    @maridvnvm Thanks for putting up that coin from Trier, Martin, it is from the first series in 324-325, and I don't yet have an example. The coin from Constantinople is more of a mystery, since Constantinople had only one series for these, from two officinae and an example for each is shown. Now I'm curious to see if officina A also has this more basic hairstyle as well, or is it confined to B. Stay tuned.

    @RomanCollector Another interesting variant. Since only series two used the three letter mintmark, this has to be a variant of that design plan. But what was the prime version and what was the variant? Stay tuned, we need to see more. Thanks for showing it.

    @Bing After the Helena from Doug I wondered who would be first to bring us the late parallel to it for Theodora. Here it is. **NOPE TOTALLY MISSED IT ** Only two mints possible, Trier and Constantinople. Can you tell which it is? I do know that Trier was not as careful in the treatment of the mintmark, so have a suspicion, but you may be able to angle it around to see something. As for the Helena, can you read a mark? I don't think we've seen enough obverses to nail it down that way. Anybody?
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2018
  5. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    I shouldn't have been so lazy, and indicated my catalog entries. Here they are:
    Helena.jpg
    HELENA
    AE4
    OBVERSE: FL IVL HE-LENAE AVG, draped bust right wearing ornamental mantle, necklace and broad hairband
    REVERSE: PA-X PV-BLICA, Pax standing left holding branch and transverse sceptre
    Struck at Trier, 337-40 AD
    1.36g, 13.91mm
    RIC 90
    Helena 2.jpg
    HELENA
    AE3
    OBVERSE: F L HELENA AVGVSTA, diademed bust right
    REVERSE: SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE, Securitas standing left, lowering branch with right hand, raising hem of robe with left hand.
    Struck at Alexandria 327-328 AD
    1.4g, 18mm
    RIC 38A
     
  6. Valentinian

    Valentinian Well-Known Member

    @lrbguy , I'm glad you posted this thread. From the topic, I finally figured out your username is not
    IRB (like "URB" as in "urban") guy, rather L-R-B guy. I must admit, I was wondering what "IRB" referred to! In some fonts there is little or no distinction between a capital I and a lower-case l. You can look at the first letter in this post where I typed your username and see the distinction I was not making, but it does look like an I. I am sorry to say that as I write I am still pronouncing it in my head as "IRB". I will try to switch over to "L R B" -- three letters.

    Your posts on Helena and her hairstyles are superb. I love it when someone goes into details and organizes them so well.

    To get back on track, here is a Helena from Antioch:
    HelenaFLHELENAAVGVSTA.jpg
    18-17 mm. 2.08 grams.
    FL H
    ELENA
    AVGVSTA
    SMANTB

    RIC 61 "r4, 324-5"

    Bought from Frank Kovacs in 2004.
     
  7. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member


    Ah, perfect. I messed up on getting one of those last year. You get to fill in the blank on my notes index page. You probably noticed the reference to it in my Antioch writeup - followed by no coin. Glad to be able to see it. It's strange that only this configuration of field marks was used for Helena, when Fausta got this as well as a wider separation of star and crescent.
     
  8. Ryro

    Ryro Trying to remove supporter status

    Well, I already put this in the other thread... but this one is so fun I'll repost and add my other more turtley looking Helena...let's see if I appropriately ID'd them. The 1st one came to me identified as Theodora. And that was when I 1st started collecting, so it took me some time to realize it wasn't whom I'd bought it as.

    CollageMaker Plus_201846154535674.png

    Helena
    Augusta, AD 324-328/30. Æ
    Follis Heraclea mint, 2nd
    officina. Struck AD 329-330.
    Diademed and mantled bust
    right, wearing necklace /
    Securitas standing left,
    holding branch; SMHB·. RIC
    VII 85.

    CollageMaker Plus_201845201020135.png

    Helena
    AE Follis (Constantinople
    337-341, posthumous issue,
    - Diademed and draped bust
    right / Pax standing left,
    holding branch and scepter
    (RIC 33 / C. 4)
     
  9. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    This is one Helena thread!

    Sorry.

    Siscia series 3 I guess..

    [​IMG]
    Helena, Mother of Constantine I. AE Follis, 325-330 AD

    O: FL HELENA AVGVSTA, Pearl-diademed and mantled bust right, wearing necklace. R:SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE, Securitas standing left, holding branch pointing down; ∙ΓSIS in ex., Siscia mint, RIC 204. 20 mm, 2.6g
     
  10. dlhill132

    dlhill132 Member

    LRB, awesome thread and collection! Well done.

    Doug
     
  11. NormW

    NormW Student Of Coinology

    Great post. I am saving this for when my 3 year old granddaughter is older. Maybe, just maybe, it'll help her create an interest in ancient coins. We need any hope we can get.
     
    Alegandron likes this.
  12. gsimonel

    gsimonel Well-Known Member

    Here's another example of the later commemorative series with Pax reverse. Can't tell for sure whether this is part of the "Tiny Neck" or the "Balloon Head" varieties:
    Helena.JPG
     
  13. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    :hilarious::hilarious:

    So funny :D

    What a fantastic thread. Definitely adding some Helena Hairstyles to the wish list!
     
    Gavin Richardson likes this.
  14. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    I have one of those posthumous PAX PVBLICA reduced centenionales of Trier, like @Bing , but it has a different hairstyle from his:

    Helena PAX PVBLICA Reduced Centenionalis Trier.jpg
    Helena, Augusta AD 324-228/30,
    Roman billon reduced centenionalis, 1.24 g, 13.4 mm.
    Trier, AD 337-340.
    Obv: FL IVL HELENAE AVG diademed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: PAX PVBLICA, Pax standing left, holding olive branch and transverse scepter; in exergue TR S Refs: RIC viii, p. 144, 78; LRBC I 119; Cohen 4; RCV 17492.

    Bing's looks more like this one of @zumbly 's from Constantinople.
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2018
  15. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    A truly stunning post. Thank you Irbguy for taking the time to do this, and to everyone else for posting such lovely coins. I only have one Helena, which thanks to this post, I can now say appears to be:

    Series 4: Same as series 3 except for a pronounced loop of hair in front over diadem. RIC 218 (ΓSISdbl-crescent) 328-29

    Or is that an Epsilon rather than a Gamma at the start of the mintmark?

    Helena Sisica AE3 (8).JPG
    Helena Sisica AE3 (6).JPG
     
  16. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member

    @Marsyas Mike Thanks to you and others for the kind words and reception of this listing. We'll keep adding to it. As for the officina, interestingly only two officinae are listed as having produced this series for this coin type. I showed gamma, and (to my eye) you showed epsilon. Nice!!
     
  17. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    Very informative thread, thank you @lrbguy !

    Here's my only Helena

    [​IMG]
    Helena, AE3 Heraclea mint, 5th officina
    FL HELENA AVGVSTA, draped and diademed bust right
    SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE, Helena standing left, holding branch and raising her dress. dot SMHE dot at exergue
    2.9 gr
    Ref : Cohen # 12, LRBC # 879

    Q
     
  18. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Looks like Є to me!
     
    Marsyas Mike likes this.
  19. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    Unless I am looking at things wrong, it appears that the Epsilon version (just like mine?) is on Wildwinds? There's even the same hair loop (again, so I think).

    Siscia RIC 218, E
    Helena AE follis. Siscia. AD 328-329. FL HELENA AVGVSTA, diademed, mantled bust right, wearing necklace / SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE, Securitas standing left, lowering branch in right hand and raising hem of robe with left. Mintmark Epsilon SIS double-crescent. RIC VII
    Siscia 218; Sear 16610.
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  20. Bert Gedin

    Bert Gedin Well-Known Member

    Abyssmal hair styles - and that's just the men !!!
     
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