Another FEL TEMP Galley...

I seem to be collecting all sorts of FTRs and this was a gap filler for me. I didn't have any Galley coins from Constantinople and they all seem relatively hard to find. This one is pretty scrappy but I am still happy to have filled a little gap.

Constans - AE2

Obv:- D N CONSTA-NS P F AVG, Rosette and laureate diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev:- FEL TEMP-REPARATIO, emperor in military dress standing left on galley, holding phoenix on globe, Victory sitting at the stern, steering the ship
Minted in Constantinople; (_ | S // CONSIA*)
Reference:– RIC VIII Constantinople 83 var (Unlisted officina - the other listed officina are R by RIC)

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I like it! haven't seen too many FEL TEMP's that aren't fallen horesmen. It's nice to have the reminder that there are other reverses with the same inscriptions. Not knocking your great horsemen @randygeki , you know I'm a fan
I'm still amazed at the sheer number of varieties.

 

I assume anyone interested has seen my page on them but just in case:
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/ftr.html

 

That’s a nice one Martin.

I agree it’s nice to see other ftrs. Last one I posted wasn’t a FH.

 

That's a nice lookin' AE2 @maridvnvm !

Here's my only fel tem galley, the crazy blue Constans Trier AE3.

 

I have a few in my collection now. Here are some of the Constans I have thus far (limited to showing one per mint) :-

Alexandria

Aquileia

Arles

Cyzicus

Lugdunum

Rome

Siscia

Trier

 

I have some for Constantius II too:-

Arles

Lugdunum

Rome

Siscia

Thessalonica

Trier

 

Magnentius

And a few Barbarious imitatives

 

You have some real beauties there, Maridvnvm. I noticed in your description of the OP that you did not mention emperor was also holding a laborum. This is surprising, since many people specifically collect coins with Christian imagery on them (especially around Christmas).

Actually, this brings to mind another question. When did Victory morph into an angel? S/he looks pretty masculine on that Rome mint example.

 

Excellent collection Martin

 

For those who think that it's not worth them faking such low value coins then I am here to show that I have been duped and that my OP coin is evidently a cast fake. The evidence for this is a match that has just arrived on ebay. The poor surfaces and applied toning are an attempt to distract us.



Another lesson learned.
Martin

 

I don't doubt you, but I'm curious what convinced you it was a cast fake rather than just a die match. The cheek scar on the OP coin is not on the above coin. (I did notice that Constantius II has a "wart" on the back of his neck on both coins, but gee, for all I know, maybe he really did have a wart there.)

 

In my opiniojn flan shape, strike and overall wear pattern are too similar to be just a die match. I think that the other differences are due to flaws in the casting process.

 

Combined the photos for a better look.

 

I admit it's certainly possible, but I see some differences, too. Look at the N in Constans. There's a ridge above it in on the OP coin that might have come from a crack in the die. I don't see this in the lower coin. The borders look a little different, too. The individual beads are much more defined on the obverse of the lower coin than the OP.

Is there any evidence of a seam or filing on the edges of your coin?

 

IDK. I just see a die match, but not a flan match.

 

Tough call. I see certain similarities that seem like more than just coincidences, and then I see areas that look different. I'm just glad that I don't have to make the decision.

 

Whilst I am 100% convinced that these are cast copies I can see that there is sime doubt amongst the community. I decided to search for more indirect evidence to back up my assertions. I decided to go through the offerings of the seller of the new example to see what else they have/have had for sale.

Amongst them are things that set the alarm belss going. I am not sure if people have seen the recent batches of entirely unconvincing early medieval and Byzantine things that have been created by what looks like someone getting hold of a soldering iron and producing very crude dies from the from which they kick out very crude coins. Let's face it the originals are crude too...right.



This doesn't back up my thought process above though. Then I stumble across these two. Sold by the same seller. Sold about a month apart. Same dies, same strike and wear and yet different coins, with






This is the clincher for me. I am going to be doing a bit of research over my Christmas break to try and identify more of these LRB fakes. I hate being duped but enjoy calling these guys out if I am.

 

Okay, you've convinced me. This is really worrisome. Who is the seller? Can you tell for sure if they are cast? Might they be stamped? There was a post recently about a large-scale counterfeiting operation in China. They concentrate mostly on high-demand coins like Morgan dollars and flying eagle pennies, but I think of late they've been dabbling in ancients. If the market gets flooded with with convincing counterfeits of low-to-mid grade ancients, it could destroy the hobby--who wants to hold a four-month-old "piece of history" in their hands?

 

These are certainly cast.

The seller of the new fake is theancientworld on ebay. I will add them to the Forvm NFSL.