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An excellent Constantinian campgate with an important provenance
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<p>[QUOTE="Claudius_Gothicus, post: 7561579, member: 116315"]While I normally put historical interest and rarity over grade and condition, it is undeniable that a common coin in an excellent state of preservation is still a fantastic addition to any collection. This is the case with this recent acquisition of mine, a very common type that not only does not show any sign of wear, and even has portions of silvering left, but also comes with an important provenance (it's my first coin with one):</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1303726[/ATTACH]</p><p>Constantine I, as Augustus (306-337), Follis, Trier mint.</p><p>Obverse: CONSTAN-TINVS AVG, laureate head right;</p><p>Reverse: PROVIDEN-TIAE AVGG, campgate, two turrets, 6 layers, star above. Mintmark PTR dot-in-crescent;</p><p>RIC VII 475</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin comes from the Peter Weiß collection, which was auctioned a few weeks ago by Gorny & Mosch; it contained a great number of late Roman coins, including some very rare and impressive ones, and its owner had also written several articles regarding coinage from the Constantinian period. If anybody else picked up any coins from his collection in this sale, I'd like to see them!</p><p><br /></p><p>However, in my opinion, the reverse is also very interesting, despite the fact that many might overlook it due to how ubiquitous it is on late Roman coins: firstly, it is something new, which had never appeared on Roman Imperial coins before the creation of the Tetrarchy, and thus symbolizes very well the changing situation in the empire, which needed to be defended from the ever more frequent external threats. Secondly, the depictions of the campgates, just like the portraits, change significantly depending on the issuing mint, with differences such as the width, the number of layers and turrets, and the presence of doors, which can even be decorated, in certain cases. One could certainly build an impressive collection of them, especially if he expanded it to the campgates minted by rulers outside the Constantinian dynasty, who also had unusual depictions of them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, I think it's cool that Trier, the city where this coin was struck, today has one of the best preserved Roman city gates, the Porta Nigra ("Black door"), the last surviving one of the four of the original walls, which was built in the second century AD, and was already there when this coin was struck. At 29 meters tall, it's without a doubt an impressive building, and I'd love to visit it someday; for now, though, I'll have to simply look at the photos.</p><p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Trier_Porta_Nigra_BW_1.JPG/1280px-Trier_Porta_Nigra_BW_1.JPG" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p>(Wikipedia; By Berthold Werner - Own work, Public Domain)</p><p><br /></p><p>As an anecdote, this building was also featured on a circulating commemorative coin made by Germany in 2017, which I happen to own; I know we're on the Ancients Forum, but I think this still fits in with the topic <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1303769[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, that's all for now: post your coins from the Peter Weiß collection (if you have any), your campgates, your coins from Trier or anything else you feel like might be relevant![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Claudius_Gothicus, post: 7561579, member: 116315"]While I normally put historical interest and rarity over grade and condition, it is undeniable that a common coin in an excellent state of preservation is still a fantastic addition to any collection. This is the case with this recent acquisition of mine, a very common type that not only does not show any sign of wear, and even has portions of silvering left, but also comes with an important provenance (it's my first coin with one): [ATTACH=full]1303726[/ATTACH] Constantine I, as Augustus (306-337), Follis, Trier mint. Obverse: CONSTAN-TINVS AVG, laureate head right; Reverse: PROVIDEN-TIAE AVGG, campgate, two turrets, 6 layers, star above. Mintmark PTR dot-in-crescent; RIC VII 475 This coin comes from the Peter Weiß collection, which was auctioned a few weeks ago by Gorny & Mosch; it contained a great number of late Roman coins, including some very rare and impressive ones, and its owner had also written several articles regarding coinage from the Constantinian period. If anybody else picked up any coins from his collection in this sale, I'd like to see them! However, in my opinion, the reverse is also very interesting, despite the fact that many might overlook it due to how ubiquitous it is on late Roman coins: firstly, it is something new, which had never appeared on Roman Imperial coins before the creation of the Tetrarchy, and thus symbolizes very well the changing situation in the empire, which needed to be defended from the ever more frequent external threats. Secondly, the depictions of the campgates, just like the portraits, change significantly depending on the issuing mint, with differences such as the width, the number of layers and turrets, and the presence of doors, which can even be decorated, in certain cases. One could certainly build an impressive collection of them, especially if he expanded it to the campgates minted by rulers outside the Constantinian dynasty, who also had unusual depictions of them. Finally, I think it's cool that Trier, the city where this coin was struck, today has one of the best preserved Roman city gates, the Porta Nigra ("Black door"), the last surviving one of the four of the original walls, which was built in the second century AD, and was already there when this coin was struck. At 29 meters tall, it's without a doubt an impressive building, and I'd love to visit it someday; for now, though, I'll have to simply look at the photos. [IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Trier_Porta_Nigra_BW_1.JPG/1280px-Trier_Porta_Nigra_BW_1.JPG[/IMG] (Wikipedia; By Berthold Werner - Own work, Public Domain) As an anecdote, this building was also featured on a circulating commemorative coin made by Germany in 2017, which I happen to own; I know we're on the Ancients Forum, but I think this still fits in with the topic :). [ATTACH=full]1303769[/ATTACH] Anyway, that's all for now: post your coins from the Peter Weiß collection (if you have any), your campgates, your coins from Trier or anything else you feel like might be relevant![/QUOTE]
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An excellent Constantinian campgate with an important provenance
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