I have had a very dry period with buying over the last two months. The postman did finally pay me a visit yesterday with a few deliveries for me and I thought that I would share them. As it turns out 5 of the 6 coins that arrived are FEL TEMP coins. Coin 1. This is what I consider to be the star of this haul. I have a loose (and quite likely unachievable) target of a set of each mint for each type for each emperor that produced them for the FEL TEMP types. The blocker here is that some mints are simply harder to get than others. I have a predeliction for Alexandria and so have been looking for an Alexandrian mint galley to fill a gap for a couple of years. I saw one in an auction a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised that my low-ball bid was successful. It's quite a nice example with the only major complaint being the flatness on the head of the emperor. It has a nice heavy feel to it at over 6 gms. Antioch will be next on list. Constans Obv:- D N CONSTA-NS P F AVG, Pearl diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right Rev:- FEL TEMP-REPARATIO, Emperor in military dress standing left on galley, holding Phoenix and labarum, Victory sitting at the stern, steering the ship Minted in Alexandria; (_ | * //ALED), A.D. 348-350 Reference:– RIC VIII Alexandria 53 (R) 6.02 gms. 23.55 mm. 180 degrees Coin 2. This one has far less of the feel of the chase about it. It was simply the next lot in the same auction. It is a gap in that I already have a couple of examples of RIC VIII Alexandria 64 (which is the issue with a star in the left field) but didn't have an example of this issue without the star. It had a low start bid so it felt churlish not to place a bid and get these shipped together. I was the sole bidder. Condition isn't too bad but it is far from perfect. Constans Obv:- D N CONSTA-NS P F AVG, Pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust left, globe in right hand. Rev:- FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Emperor standing left, holding labarum and shield, two captives, kneeling and leaning left before him, Minted in Alexandria, officina A; (// ALEA), A.D. 348-350 A.D. Reference:– RIC VIII Alexandria 56 (C) 3.50 gms. 22.02 mm. 180 degrees Coin 3. Now for a hut. The hut coins are generally more common under Constans than Constantius II. I have examples from all 13 mints for Constans but only 6 of the 11 mints for Constantius II. However this is my 3rd example from Rome for Constantius II. It is an issue I already have for Constans but not for Constantius II. Well that's enough of my self justification for the purchase. The coin is pretty enough with a decent portrait. The flan is LARGE, in fact too large. The oversized flan has meant that there simply wasn't enough metal to fill the shoulder of the emperor on the obverse and to fill the legend on the opposite point on the reverse. Constantius II Obv:- D N CONSTANS P F AVG, Pearl diademed, draped & cuirassed bust left holding globe, Rev:- FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Helmeted soldier, spear in left hand, advancing right, head left; with his right hand he leads a small bare-headed figure from a hut beneath a tree. The spear points up and to the right Minted in Rome; (//R*S) Reference:– RIC VIII Rome 139 (R) Weight 3.58g. 24.54mm. 180 degrees Coin 4. Another hut. I won't bother providing as much detail for this one. It is a barbarous imitation of a Hut type. I didn't have one and this one was the price of a coffee from one of those premium coffee shops. It is corroded and shiny black and so horrible to photograph. I think it is imitating Trier. I haven't finished trying to decypher the legends yet but there are more Is than is normal for a FEL TEMP. 4.84 gms. 21.56 mm. 180 degrees Coin 5. Just a small, cheap falling horseman from Antioch. References:- RIC VIII Antioch 188 2.52 gms. 16.71 mm. 180 degrees
BRAVO!!! Yet from the Falling Horsemen you were showing it seems to me you sometimes take it a step further, getting down into series or officina, especially if an unlisted variant comes along. How many of the main types are you working up this way? Horseman Galley Hut 1or2-captive Phoenix Mound Charging captive Did I miss any?
You got them all. On some issues I am also working slowly on an officina set but that is more of an incidental chase than a focus.
I'd not separate Phoenix (globe) and mound as two if you are going to lump 1 and 2 captives or galley with victory statue and galley with phoenix. Randy's answer probably went over most heads. I'd drop the dots and call it M but none of us will be getting a .^.^. anyway.
Actually, the distinction is not mound and phoenix, but mound and globe. Both have a phoenix. Do any of the mints do both types for this? If not, then I would agree that the type is one and probably should be named by the common element, i.e. Phoenix. [Quite a few mints did both.] As for the "M" type, Rome 313, from the second group in 357AD, central motif ./\./\. well, a single listing with two examples (known to Kent) does not fit my notion of "main types." But it is a distinct type, to be sure. Fortunately Kent gives us a pic.
I don't have the understanding of the types that you and a few others have, but I appreciate your in-depth knowledge and sharing of these coins!
Thanks for the post and quite nice coins. One gets used to seeing fallen horseman types and these others are a breath of fresh air!
