Crispus with special bust?

I bought this coin recently. It is a follis of Crispus of the mint of Nicomedia. Its nothing rare, but I liked the bust type a lot. It looks almost as if the die sinker has taken special care with this bust and I wonder if there is any evidence that this might be a "special" bust like all those special busts, with spears and shields, or horse heads. In any case, this is probably one of the biggest busts of Crispus around.

I would be interested to see other, particularly nice and appealing busts of Crispus, Constantine I and II, Constantius II and Dematius.

 

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This one from the Alexandria mint has a similar bust.

 

I wouldn't call it special, just Nicomedian style.

here's one I used to have

 

It is definitely one of the nicest Crispus busts I have seen.

SC

 

Not special, same reverse type but from Rome. It is the last emission of Crispus in Rome before his death. The minting of this type started after the fall of Licinius in 324 AD. This type is rated rare since Crispus disappeared from the coinage in 326 AD following his killing.

 

I posted this coin recently .

 

Nice coin @Tejas
Here is my Crispus with spear and shield:

Crispus as Caesar, (316-326 AD). Billon centenionalis. Siscia mint.

 

Great coin, @Tejas ! Very nice.

CRISPUS


RI Crispus 317-326 CE AE Folles Caesar in Trier Campgate - Heraclea mint

 

Here is my most special Crispus bust type. The helmet and his cuirass are finely decorated. Note the battle scene on the shield. The engraver must have used some kind of magnifyer to do the job.

 

Another nice and special bust:

 

Here is Contantine II, which I bought recently solely for the nice and somewhat unusual bust. It is the way how the head sits on the shoulders, slightly bend forward, which drew me to this coin. Otherwise, it is not a rare type, just aesthetically pleasing.

 

Yes, but added beauty from a coin of high grade makes it more special than mine. Good surfaces mean a lot.

 

Here is another common and generally inexpensive coin, which I think has a special aesthetic quality to it. I think the bust is superbe and I bought it just for that:



All three coins I showed in this thread are common and inexpensive, but, at least to my eye, exceptionally attractive pieces of ancient art. They are available to most collectors unlike the many rarities and issues in silver and gold. I think that this is the beauty of coin collecting.

 

Here are my two favourite busts types I own :
CRISPUS, Caesar , AD 316-326 Æ Follis (3.54g) Treveri ( Trier) mint ,2nd officina. Struck AD 322 . Obv IVL CRISPVS NOB CAES , laureate and cuirassed bust left, holding spear over shoulder in right hand and shield . Rev BEATA TRANQVILLITAS, alter inscribed VO/TIS/XX in three lines and surmounted by globe; three stars above ; STR* .Ref RIC VII 347


Constantine I.Æ Follis.Struck 319-320 AD. Ticinum mint.

CONST-ANTINVS AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust right / VIRTVS EXERCIT, standard inscribed VOT/XX between two captives; (crescent)/ST. RIC VII 127 ,

 

Tejas, That one is a stunner , great score !

 

Maybe you are right. However, just to compare two Nicomedia-stype folles (both from my collection):

1. The usual follis with large and rather generic bust to the left in the normal flat relief. Nothing special here:


2. An exceptionally large bust, with an expressive face and unusually high relief. The coin has an almost medallic quality to it:



This is why I wondered if coin number two is not some kind of "special bust" type. I have many of these Constantinian bronzes, but the quality of the engraving of this one really stands out. The picture doesn't even do it full justice. It is even better in hand.

 

I suspect that this is the type of thing that led Bastien, in his studies of the Lyons mint, to assume two engravers working contemporaneously.

SC

 

That is interesting. The pretty-style is, however, much rarer than the plainer style. Maybe one engraver was only called upon for a special occasion.

 

322 AD
Obv: CRISPVS NOB CAES, bust r.
Rev: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM around wreath containing VOT X
Size: 18.95 mm
Weight: 2.8 grams