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Message:: [QUOTE="John Anthony, post: 3236749, member: 42773"]On December 25, 333, Constantine elevated his 10-year-old son Flavius Julius Constans to the rank of Caesar, and the first coinage bearing his name and effigy began to be struck. These GLORIA EXERCITVS (Glory of the Army) types, with two soldiers and two standards, were already being issued for Constantine and Constantine Jr. All 13 imperial mints in operation at the time started issuing Constans' coins. (Londinium and Ticinium had closed up shop before the run of this series.) Collecting a mint set of these coins was something that [USER=19463]@dougsmit[/USER] suggested to me a couple of years ago. Most of the types are scarce to rare, owing to the fact that they were minted for Constans only a short time before the series was discontinued in favor of the smaller one-standard types. It's been quite a challenge to find some of these coins at any price, but I have now completed the task in the sense that all of the mints are accounted for. (Some of the coins could use upgrades.) Here is a map of Roman mints from <a href="http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/" rel="nofollow">Victor's excellent website</a>... [ATTACH=full]846445[/ATTACH] A few notes about the collection without getting too verbose: there are 9 right-facing busts, 4 left; 3 of the coins come from other forum members: Lugdunum from [USER=58941]@YOC[/USER] , Nicomedia from [USER=10613]@Victor_Clark[/USER] , and Alexandria from [USER=41668]@HoldingHistory[/USER] ; the Antioch coin comes from the Ihnasyah hoard via the Royal Ontario Museum (more on that later); there a couple of bust variants - see the attributions below. The Aquileia coin is in desperate need of an upgrade, but I have only seen one other example in my years of hunting, and the seller would not come down from $185. My example was an eBay cherry-pick at $20. (One of my criteria for this set was that the average price of the coins should be around $50 apiece.) Despite the decrepit condition of the Aquileia example, AQP can just be made out in exergue, and even if the mint mark were obliterated, the attribution could be corroborated by the control mark F between the standards, used only at Aquileia. Two of the coins have unusual legends wherein the prince's name is given in the genitive case CONSTANTIS. CONSTANTIS BEA C from Siscia, and CONSTANTIS NOB C from Nicomedia. Why? And why only those two mints? The legends might be read literally as "Constans of Beauty (or Loveliness?)" and "Constans of Nobility." Was the use of the genitive in these examples something endearing? Like "cute kid?" I suspect the ancient singsong of the idiom is lost to us today - perhaps one of you Latin scholars can shed some light on the matter. Assembling this collection has given me a great deal of pleasure, so without further ado here it is. I just need Dansco to issue a nice album for these. Are you working on a Roman mint set? [ATTACH=full]846413[/ATTACH] 1. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.9g, 19mm, 12h; Lugdunum mint, 333-4.Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLORI-A EXER-CITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue ✷PLGReference: RIC VII Lyons 265, r4, p. 139, bust variant. Ex-YOC.Note: RIC lists this variety with laureate, draped, cuirassed busts seen from the back. This bust is definitely seen from the front, and may not be cuirassed – the strike is a bit too weak to say for certain. 2. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.0g, 18mm, 12h; Trier mint, 333-4.Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB CAES; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; between standards, wreath; in exergue TR? (P or S)Reference: RIC VII Trier 552, r3(P) or r4(S), p. 218, bust variant.Note: Another bust variant. RIC lists only a bust seen from the front. This one is from the back. 3. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.0g, 19mm, 6h; Arles mint, 333-4.Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; between standards, wreath; in exergue SCONSTReference: RIC VII Arles 378, r4, p. 274, bust variant.Note: Again RIC lists only a bust seen from the back. This one is clearly from the front. Also note the prominent centering dimple on the reverse. 4. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 1.9g, 19mm, 6h; Rome mint, 335-6.Obv.: FL CONSTANS NOB CAES; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue R✷PReference: RIC VII Rome 367, r2, p. 341. 5. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.0g, 18mm, 6h; Aquileia mint, September 335-336.Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust left.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; between standards, F; in exergue AQPReference: RIC VII Aquileia 134, r4, p. 409. 6. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.6g, 19mm, 6h; Siscia mint, 334-5.Obv.: FL CONSTANTIS BEA C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue •ΔSIS•Reference: RIC VII Siscia 238, r1, p. 456. 7. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 1.9g, 19mm, 6h; Thessalonica mint, 335-6.Obv.: CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue SMTSΔReference: RIC VII Thessalonica 201, r1, p. 526. 8. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.7g, 17mm, 6h; Heraclea mint, 333-6.Obv.: FL I CONSTANS NOB CAES; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust left.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue SMHЄ✷Reference: RIC VII Heraclea 141, r4, p. 560. 9. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.8g, 19mm, 12h; Constantinople mint, 333-5.Obv.: FL CONSTANS NOB CAES; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust left.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue •CONSIA•Reference: RIC VII Constantinople 83, r1, p. 582. 10.Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.6g, 17mm; Nicomedia mint, 333-5.Obv.: FL ILV CONSTANTIS NOB C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust left.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue SMNAReference: RIC VII Nicomedia 192, r5, p. 634. Ex-Victor Clark. 11. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.2g, 19mm, 12h; Cyzicus mint, 333, 335.Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue •SMKSReference: RIC VII Cyzicus 102, r5, p. 657. 12.Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 2.0g, 17mm, 12h; Antioch mint, 335-7.Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue SMANHReference: RIC VII Antioch 111, c1, p. 697. From the Ihnasyah Hoard. 13. Constans as Caesar, AD 333-337Æ Follis, 3.1g, 19mm, 12h; Alexandria  mint, 333-5.Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers standing, facing one another, holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield; between them two standards; in exergue SMALAReference: RIC VII Alexandria 61, r1, p.711. Ex-Holding History.[/QUOTE]

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