Can anyone tell me who this is, when it was made. It was in very good shape and I gave $5 for it. Any help would be appreciated it weighs 2.5 grams and is about the size of a dime. Thank you very much...
Its a bronze coin of Constantius II (Constantivs on obverse), one of the sons of Rome's first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great. It was struck while Constantius was a junior co-ruler, or Caesar, and the place of it's minting was at Cyzicus (SMKT on the reverse is the mintmark), in the early 4th century AD. The reverse depicts a Roman campgate. About worth what you paid, this type was made in the millions and so many still survive today.
Thank you so much, I love ancients but know nothing about then yet. TAnk youn for your time to answer me.
The mintmark is SMKΓ•, gamma instead of T, as T is not a workshop for this issue. It also looks like a dot at the end, if so, it was struck A.D. 325- 326. Constantius II A.D. 325- 326 FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust left. PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS; camp gate with two turrets and star between them. in ex. SMKΓ• RIC VII Cyzicus 38
I think you got it at a good price. The coins looks to be in pretty nice shape, although it appears to have some dirt or other deposits on it. You might try cleaning it a bit. Soak it for a few days in distilled (NOT tap) water (DW), then try scrubbing it with a toothbrush and a little dish-washing liquid. Rinse it off and then let it soak in fresh DW some more. Repeat for a few weeks or until it appears that all the deposit has been removed. I would not try any other harsher cleaning methods, though, since the coin already looks good as is and there's no point in taking a chance of damaging it. Just be very gentle and patient. You might not notice any improvement, or you may end up with something even nicer.
