Constantine II trio on the cheap

Last week I posted my new Constantine II that was anything but common and cheap. Today I'll show three coins similar but different. Two of them were $10 each and the third was $12 (I see little justification for that difference but I agree that all should be cheap). Some people would say it would be better to buy one coin at $32 but I already have quite a few of Constantine II and did not buy these for their grade or anything beyond what I mention below. The seller had others in the general bracket but these were the ones I liked.

We will start with one from London.

I understand there is an appeal in England for Roman coins made there but I live a ocean away and mainly liked this one because it had good eye appeal and smooth surfaces with a few lumps of distraction the worst being some green on the nose. Young Constantine seems to have had trouble with allergies like so many of us this time of year.

Second is one from Lugdunum:

This was the expensive $12 one and I do not like the rough surfaces one little bit. I do like the dative obverse legend (CONSTANTINO), the small portrait and the mintwark including two seated captives separating the PL. Some might like it for being an R5 (RIC 90 page 128) but we all know that is meaningless. I wasted a lot of money at that show more seriously than the $12 on this one. Is it $2 better than the London? Maybe??? Do I wish it had the surfaces of the London? Yup!

Last is my favorite of the three (also $10):

Heraclea is not my favorite mint and this is a pretty average Jupiter reverse coin in many respects but I like it for political reasons. Licinius attempted a currency reform in areas under his control reducing the value of the AE3 coin from 25 to 12 1/2 denarii of account. This was marked on the back by the XIIs in the right field. These coins are common for Licinius II (RIC says scarce but I see too many of them) but less often seen for Constantine's young son (RIC only says R1 but I did not have this one). It is a well made coin with less than perfect but not ugly surfaces. It is, as they say, 'better in hand'. I may have to shoot it again but I still have new coins yet untried today. My wife flies back from Switzerland tomorrow and I will be doing vacation pictures for the rest of the week/month so this will do for now.

This post invites Constantine II, XIIs coins, dative legend obverses and London issues. We already have a perfectly good thread on $10 coins but I did not want to steal that one si started this anew. Pile on at will.

 

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Last one has nice bust, thats mine favorite to

 

Great stuff, Doug. My only Constantine II:


Constantine II (337 - 340 A.D.)
Æ3
O: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C, laureate and cuirassed bust right.
R: VOT• V• / MVLT•X• / CAESS / TSB within wreath.
Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) mint, 318 - 319 A.D.
18mm
3.1g
RIC VII 45

 

I like the roughness of the second one, nice lot all round Doug.

 

Definitely nice coins for the price. Online, they may have costed twice as much.

 

Rare Coins Of The Constantines In Less Than Desirable Grades? I know the words to that tune.

Not in RIC

Constantine I
AE Follis, 18mm, 2.8g; Lugdunum mint: 316
Obv.: IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG; laureate, cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI; Sol standing right, looking left, chalmys spread, holding globe / A / S // PLG
Reference: Not in RIC, compare to VII 62 with different obverse legend.



Struck for only a few months, only at the Rome mint.

Constans
AE15; Rome Mint: 337.
Obv.: DN FL CONSTANS AVG; Diademed head right.
Rev.: SECVRITAS REI P; Securitas stg. facing, legs crossed and with head turned r., holding scepter in r. hand, l. elbow leaning on a column // R leaf Q.
Reference: RIC VIII, Rome 16 (p. 250).




Urbs Roma Soldiers Standard mule

VRBS ROMA Commemorative
AE3, 1.7g, 16.8mm; Heraclea: AD 336-7
Obv.:VRBS ROMA; Roma left.
Rev.: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers with one standard between // SMH(epsilon).
Reference: RIC VII Heraclea 156



Urbs Roma Vota mule...

Rome City Commemorative, 347-348
AE4, 13mm, 1.8g, Heraclea mint: 347-348
Obv.: VRBS ROMA; Helmeted and mantled bust of Roma left, with sceptre over right shoulder.
Rev.: VOT / XX / MVLT / XXX, all within wreath // SMH?
Reference: RIC VIII, Heraclea 56



An R3 officina for the Siscia follis of Constantine, and another Rome-only issue of short duration for Constantine II...

 

Constantine II AE3. 337-340 AD, Londinium mint.

OBV: CONSTANTI-NVS IVN N C, Radiate, draped, cuirassed bust left.

REV: BEATA TRANQUILLITAS, Globe on altar inscribed VOT-IS-XX; P-A across fields, three stars above. Mintmark PLON.

REF: RIC VII Londinium 216

 

Constantine II - AE3

Obv:– CONSTANTINVS IVN N C, Laureate, cuirassed bust left wearing trabea, holding Victoriola in right hand
Rev:– BEATA TRANQLITAS, Altar inscribed VOT/IS/XX, surmounted by globe with plain vertical lines and diagonals between horizontal lines, three stars above
Minted in London (//PLON).
Reference:– RIC VII London - (Not listed with this bust type from London).

Leetoone proposes in his paper on the London mint in Numismatic Circular that all busts of this type with the Victoriola are poorly interpreted versions of the type with Victoriola and Mappa as in RIC VII London 288

 

nice bargain bin snags...the last is my favorite as well!


here's a "12" of licinius ii...







and here's a constantine ii campgate...

 

I would buy any of them for the prices you paid. Not sure which I like best, so I'll just take all three.

 

Buying common examples in common condition means owning a lot of common examples in common condition........abstaining from such things helps regulate an individuals mind by avoiding an excess of dopamine pleasure response keeping the thought process clear for substantial activities where clear thinking will allow for a greater gain by the expenditure of said monies.

 

I agree with Bing.

 

Just guessing...
If you stop getting your kicks buying cheap, common crap, after awhile you'll realise there's decent stuff you're better off blowing your wad on?

 

I think I got that Z. Just wondering why.

 

I like turtles

 

One of us sees a coin as cheap, common while another of us sees it as the one we have been looking for for years. With some regularity here one of us will show a 'special' coin of someone like Constantine and be told by someone that Constantine is common. If we believe all coins of one ruler (or even all coins not of a 12 Caesar) are the same, it is hard to argue with that.

 

I dunno. It seems we all collect what fits our collection strategy/budgets. Of course I love to look at coins like the ones Ancient Joe posts, but I would literally be sick (physically) if I spent hundreds or thousands on a coin. No matter how many common coins I may have passed on in order to afford the more expensive coin, I just couldn't make myself do it. I have a collection full of common examples that most people would not want. But I am happy with it and really that is all that matters, isn't it?

 

I am definitely happy with my collection as well. Even though I have some of the most low grade and cheapest coins amongst us here.

Doug, sometimes I think you may misunderstand how we collect and what we want. Which is quite similar to how you collect because we have learned a lot from you and your website. But at the same time, we all have our own goals. You seem to disapprove of collecting in sets and I don't blame you there but collecting that way also has it's own appeal to many. Especially for beginners like I once was. If I had not done it that way, I would not be here today. While I'm far away from being an expert. I am quite satisfied knowing about how much I learned and all the coins that I carefully picked to keep my expenditures low. Of course you get higher grade coins for low prices too because you know how to do it. I'm still learning.

But then, I also sometimes freelance purchase for the coins that I want that are outside of any sets that I am working towards. For coins that I want and ones that speak to me.