Constantius II siliqua

... but there is also a less flattering version of Valens:

 

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And since this thread is about Constantius II, here is my "Eyes-to-Heaven"-Siliqua of Constantius II. This coins was found and bought in the Ukraine. I got it for a very low price. This is the best execution of this portrait style. I also have a siliqua with the less accomplished version.

 

This is what I call the less accomplished version of the "eyes-to-heaven"-Siliquae. This coin was also found and bought in Ukraine, where large quantities of Constantius II siliquae must have circulated:

 

Here is another one, which was also found in the Ukraine. I wonder what the historical reason for the inflow of these coins to the area of modern Ukraine was. It has probably to do with the conclusion of a Foedus (treaty) with the east Germanic Goths, who lived in that area at the time.

 

I kept this one (also from Ukraine) deliberately in this semi-cleaned state. Since these coins could be bought cheaply in collectors' markets in places like Kiev and Lvov, I ended up with more than 20 pieces all of Constantius II.

 

Here is a Magentius Siliqua. Siliquae of Magentius are rather scarce. I won this one in a smaller German auction, where a placed a bid that I never expected to win the lot.

 

Your's is an early style siliqua, most likely attributable to Gaiseric. For comparison, below is a later-style siliqua from my collection, which was likely issued under Huneric.

 

@Tejas, this is a fantastic collection of siliquae. Wow!

 

I would have figured that these entered via the lower Danube and the Delta and circulated mostly in eastern Ukraine, but if they are so copious in the Kiev-Lvov areas, another possibility is that they entered around 350 and the events that precipitated in the wake of the Constans assassination and the usurpation of Magnentius in the West, like the rise of Vetranio and the swift move of Constantius II to Pannonia in time to see Vetranio retire in late December and meet Magnentius in batle at Mursa Major in September 351. Also, around this time, the bridge at Oescus-Sucidava over the Danube was destroyed. A large amount of money was spent on the Danube and in upper Pannonia at that time and very likely that money was silver and gold with Constantius II's effigy.

 

Of all my Constantius II Siliquae with VOTA reverses, this is the only one with VOTA XXV MVLTIS XXX, all the others have VOTA XXX MVLTIS XXXX.

 

Very interesting. My impression is that these coins are mostly found in western Ukraine and Moldova, but this is by no means certain.

 

Moldova would mean that they likely got there through trade in the lower Danube - Crimea. My impression is that all through the 4th and 5th centuries, Crimea had a distinct taste for more valuable currencies, even as the base metal coinage was shrinking everywhere in the 5th century, they were using the large AE2s. A similar thing seems to have happened in Spain before and around the arrival of the Visigoths

 

A later siliqua, this one of Leo I from Constantinople with the SAL REI PYI reverse:

 

Wow, great coin! I do not collect the foil-tops of wine bottles, but, man! Yours would make me want to reconsider collecting Siliquae! Very nice.

 

In fact, the mintmark is with a dot: SIRM•

And the date is not "357-361 AD" but 351-355 (heavy siliqua, so before the change of 358).
Date: 350-355

Then the #ref is RIC 19, RSC 342-3g (R1)

 

Because the 1,77 g, it's not RIC 102 (355-358) but a RIC 133, RSC 342-3v (358-361).

 

In fact : SISCPZ
A dot in the sommital (not a star or a chi-ro)
So #ref change as RIC IX Siscia 25 RSC 72

 

This is NOTINRIC, because a star in the somital (RIC 35-V).
There is another one NotInRic of this #ref because a diadem in D4 in place of D3.