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Message:: [QUOTE="jamesicus, post: 2765392, member: 14873"]HARD TO FIND (HTF) COINS: I think all of us, regardless of our collecting philosophy or specialization, seek some coins that we would dearly love to have but, for one reason or another, have experienced great difficulty finding despite our best searching -- and researching -- efforts. Following are my hard to find coins, some of which I had been trying to find for many years. Please post the coins that you have had difficulty finding (or are lusting for) -- no particular listing format. RIC, VOLUME VI, LONDINIUMGROUP I, c. 297 to 1 May 305Abdication of Diocletian & Maximian HerculiusElevation of Constantius & Galerius Maximian to Augustus GROUP II Period I, c. 1 May 305 to 25 July 306(death of Constantius) RIC (Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume VI, Londinium) Augustus and Caesar name forms and common usage: For Headers in RIC .......... In RIC Text .......... By Collectors & Dealers>DIOCLETIAN .................. DIOCLETIAN ................. DIOCLETIANMAXIMIAN HERCULIUS .... HERCULIUS .................. MAXIMIANUSGALERIUS MAXIMIAN ...... GALERIUS .................... GALERIUSCONSTANTIUS ................ CONSTANTIUS .............. CONSTANTIUS ISEVERUS ....................... SEVERUS ...................... SEVERUS IIMAXIMINUS ...................  MAXIMINUS ................... MAXIMINUS II Note: Caution should be exercised when attributing the coins of Galerius Maximian & Maximian Herculius due to the similarity of their titulature. Galerius Maximian was both Caesar and Augustus during this time period whereas Maximian Herculius was always only Augustus. Therefor, coins bearing the titulature MAXIMIANVS and NOBIL CAES, NOB CAES, NOBIL C, etc.can only be those of Galerius Maximian. There is a special problem with Galerius as Augustus coins: The titulature is exactly the same as that of Maximinus Herculius and frequently the only way to differentiate between the two is by the portraiture on the coin obverse. RIC Volume VI, Londinium, Group I, (i), folles, c. 297, No. 1a-5, obverse and reverse in the style of the unknown continental mint invasion coinage, laureate head, right, with bare neck truncation, long ribbon tie laying on neck. Smaller and more compact lettering. LON in reverse exergue. No. 1a - Diocletian -- coins in this series were only produced for a very short time and have always been difficult to find for me. Sometimes several years go by before I locate one offered for sale. The coin pictured here is especially hard to find, being the first coin minted under Constantius at the London mint: <img src="http://jp29.org/lon1ao1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG <img src="http://jp29.org/lon1ar1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANILON (exergue) Intermediate Group folles (Bastien) c. 297 that often feature Lugdunum style laureate heads and London style lettering. Sometimes with laureate busts in fine style with elaborate consular cuirasses (Stewartby). Galerius Maximian as Caesar> Intermediate Group - laureate truncated bare bust with long ribbon tie lying on neck -- these coins have always been hard to find. Production was sparse and sporadic: <img src="http://jp29.org/lonint1o.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />C VAL MAXIMIANVS NOB C <img src="http://jp29.org/lonint1r.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI RIC Volume VI, Londinium, Group II, Period I: until the death of Constantius on 25 July 306 -- Period II: after the death of Constantius until the Introduction of mint marked (PLN) reduced size folles in the summer of 307, folles, No. 40-81. Mostly laureate busts, cuirassed and sometimes draped. Titulature Notes:Augustus titulature: IMP .................... AVGCaesar titulature: NOB C | NOBIL CAES | NOBILISSIMVS CAESAR | etc. Constantius as Augustus:* All coins with Augustus titulature were minted during Period I. Galerius Maximian as Augustus:* All coins with the following Augustus titulature were minted during Period I. As noted previously, there is some duplication of Maximianus Herculius titulature here which often causes confusion. The RIC, Londinium, Group II, header lists the Augusti as Constantius and Galerius Maximian only for Period I with Constantius titulature prefixed with 1 and Galerius Maximian titulature prefixed with 2 as follows: 2a IMP C MAXIMIANVS PIVS FEL AVG2b IMP C MAXIMIANVS P FEL AVG2c IMP C MAXIMIANVS P F AVG2d IMP C MAXIMIANVS P AVG2e IMP C MAXIMIANVS P F IN AVG2f IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG Severus* All coins with Caesar titulature were minted during Period I.* All coins with Augustus titulature were minted during Period II. Maximinus* All coins with GAL VAL MAXIMINVS or SEVERVS ET MAXIMINVS in the titulature were minted during Period I.* Most coins with other Caesar titulature were likely minted during Period I, although some were probably minted during Period II. Diocletian/Maximian Herculius Abdication coinage* Most likely minted during the early part of Period II. No. 47 - Constantius as Augustus -- very seldom encountered by me. Constantius was only Augustus for just over a year and that fact, combined with the naturally low production rate of London mint coins, has resulted in these being particularly hard to come by. The coin pictured here is especially hard to find, bearing as it does the earliest form of Constantius as Augustus titulature: <img src="http://jp29.org/lon47ooo.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />IMP CONSTANTIVS PIVS FEL AVG <img src="http://jp29.org/lon47rrr.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI No. 59a - Severus as Caesar -- very seldom encountered by me. Similar situation as with Constantius as Augustus. The coin pictured here is especially hard to find, bearing as it does the earliest form of Severus as Caesar titulature: <img src="http://jp29.org/lon59ao1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />SEVERVS NOBILISSIMVS CAES <img src="http://jp29.org/lon59ar1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI[/QUOTE]

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