He says he bought the coin. I would have bought it as well, despite the plastic. Those slabs aren't even really slabs like those of the big TPG's - they come apart quite easily.
It does look a lot like a shield, but I believe these things on Trier coins are considered to be extra large pauldrons/shoulder guards, so, part of the cuirass. Perhaps a precursor of '80s shoulder pads.
The style matches others of the mint and time within reason. My reason to take it apart would be to see the edges and convince myself it is not edge filed but being unsealed ruins it as a slab error. If it were a proper ID, it would have been out within a minute of arrival. http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1742505
Not filed is my guess... I've seen many almost perfectly round campgates. This one is my latest favorite campgate. I wish I had it in a slab with a wrong name, but it's kind of hard to get 'Crispus' wrong, unless you're really not looking at the coin at all. Ok, I take that back... I don't want it in a slab, error or no. I like it too much.
I am so proud of you! I am going to eventually turn you all into slab collectors! (just kidding!). I have bought a few "modern" (still old for u.s. collectors) gold in those slabs, and obviously treat them like raw coins. I have no issues with ancient collectors buying slabbed, even to break them out. There are plenty of nice coins waiting to be busted out (or kept in, if I get them).
My Trier example with the bulky shoulder guards is nowhere as nice as your MS 65, but it's at least the real McConstantine II. Just curious, Doug, did the 4 examples that you did not win also have errors?
Although I agree that any self-slab is less than useless, this seller frequently has good PCGS and NGC coins with a starting bid of zero. Then, again, we all agree with the adage "buy the coin and not the plastic." guy
Nice!! => I love the slab error (I agree that this may be the one time that I'd keep the coin in the slab!?) It is quite a nice coin ... congrats on the sweet Constantius-II, lookin' all purdy in its Constantine-II wrapper!! (a total winner) Ummm, I will happily add my usual Constantine-II and Constantius-II campgates to your great thread ... ... ummm, with doors
Hey Doug, curious? => my sweet examples have doors which apparently are kinda special ... but does the left-or-right facing portrait also have a rare and common type? ... usually, right-facing portraits seem more common in most Roman coins ... but these campgate types seem a bit random on their portrait direction, eh? (just a bit curious ... perhaps there have already been several threads on this subject and I've merely been a bit too tipsy to notice?) thanks ... oh, and thanks if anybody else knows the answer and/or has an opinion on the campgate portrait facing issue (I don't want opinions on whether I've had too many swigs) thanks coin-gang
Yes. I was outbid on a Decius labelled Trebonanius Gallus, a Claudius II labelled Gallienus, a Licinius I labelled Constantine I and (the best one) a Valerian labelled Postumus. All five sales were active the same week making me wonder if they were all collected by someone as known to be wrong but the seller did have other lots that were correctly identified. At this period it was common for one son to be left while the others are right. This issue has Constantine II both ways so my guess (unbaked theory) is that his portraits were changed to right when they started issuing coins for his younger brother in left format. This is not something that holds in all times and all mints. Perhaps the left ones indicated that person was holding some office at that time (Consul?) or some other answer that would require more study. I have been moving away from late Romans lately simply because I have too many. There is a lot of interest available and many real opportunities for study for relatively low cost. I'm surprised coin collectors do not get more competition from people studying the clothing shown on these coins. I have not looked to see if there are reconstructions of the attire ('big shoulders').
Hey Doug, Thanks for the quick response ... Hmmm, but that almost sounded like a homework assignment, eh? (luckily, I'm not retired yet, so you couldn't have been insinuating that "I" try to gather-up data associated with each of the Const-gang-peeps and their campgate head orientations and clothing ... right?) Thanks again, Doug ... in all honesty, you're 100% correct => if a dude had the spare coin-time and available coin-money, a dude could certainly concentrate his coin-funds and coin-time towards analyzing pretty much everything associated with the Const-gang campgates, eh? => they could gather info regarding their portrait orientations, their mint details, the number of bricks and/or brick-layers in their campgate-walls ... and yes, they could even create a database associated with the clothing details associated with each of the Const-gang? (it sounds like a semi-interesting coin-project ... man, I wish that I was retired!!)
Already done See Dane's spreadsheet for campgates. Number of brick layers is specified. That's some serious detail!
*phew* => now I feel like I can coin-relax for a bit (man, that was a close one!!) Wow, Dane is very cool (coin-chicks rock, eh TIF?)
Not all that long ago campgates were a premium item with a number of people interested in things like brick counting. I was never a major fan and did not pay extra. Today they seem to be back in line with the other LRB commons all of which have little details that only mean something to those who care. I simply do not care if I have a six row gate or an eight row gate. In most cases, I only care if that detail is accompanied to some explanation of why the difference was put on the coin. For example, we have the people working on identifying the tribes of foes shown on Falling Horsemen from their hats and hair. I would love to know if the man on the Roman street looked at my new coin and could comment on how the kid was dressed. Today, the press comments every time the First Lady gets a new dress or if the President wears 'Mommy Jeans'. I don't care if you like them or not as public figures but find a reason better than their jeans.