I get something out of this list. Do you?

I find participating in CT educational. Sometimes you learn something new; sometimes you are reminded of something you had seen before and might benefit from an occasional refresher. Sometimes you are reminded of how little you know. Last week @chrsmat71 showed us his coin from the short period when the sons of Constantine I assumed his title MAX immediately following the death of Constantine I. Coins of Constans Max and Constantius Max are no problem but those of Constantine II MAX are easy to confuse with those of their father. As a reminder, here is chrsmat71's post.

Within minutes(literally) I saw my new coin below (.ESIS* but otherwise the same) listed on eBay with an extensive write up identifying it as Constantine I RIC (volume VII) 261 which does look a lot like this but lacks the dot in front of the mintmark and the annulet on the standard. Since the no dot mintmark coins exist for the other brothers with MAX in the obverse legend but with the annulet and since RIC places the dot coins later, this would seem a Constantine II but there are no RIC listings for Constans Max or Constantius Max with the annulet and dot. The footnotes in RIC to listings 262 (vol VII) and 79 (vol VIII) point out great uncertainty and lack of understanding of the separation made by Voetter (which I have not seen).

What I learned from this matter is that I do not understand this matter. Please do not post an ID for these coins unless you have considered the arguments in RIC notes and are not just parroting numbers from a list. After applying my eBay certificate (the 2% kickback they send every quarter) I have 62 cents tied up in this coin. I hope it is significant. I would not have spent that much on just another Constantine I.

 

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Isn't that the truth! Regardless of who minted the coin, it's a decent looking coin and a good image. I'm with you brother. The more I learn, the more I need to learn.

 

Well, that's a great price! I have nothing substantial to contribute.

 

=> not me ... ummm, I figure that I pretty much know it all (but I will continue to help others find their way through the ancient coin quagmire)

wax-on, wax-off

 

a well spent 0.62!

i've made note of that my coin could be constantine i on my flip in case the next owner would also like to not understand the attribution either.

 

According to RIC, it is Constantine II unless you read the footnotes. Of course we have to allow for the possibility that the same die was striking coins for the father on the morning of the day he died and for the son later in the afternoon. This is a significantly different situation than we see with other father son pairs of the same name who struck coins for each simultaneously. Constantine II gained the title Augustus only when his father was finished with it. Gordian I and II had the separation by hairline. Titus and Vespasian never shared a legend. Philip I and II can get confusing but these two have always been especially hard for me.

 

This is my (only) CONSTANTI---VS MAX from Alexandria. Does anyone have a CONSTANS MAX? I don't.

I just realized my inset photo cropped out the top dot of the three around the top of the standard. Shame on me.

 

In a word, yes. I like the camaraderie and the array of different personalities showing off their beauties. Because I focus on such a narrow collecting niche it's very educational and fun to read about other areas of ancient numismatics. I joined in 2007 but only recently started to actively participate, and I'm glad of it!

The light touch of the moderators is helpful too.

 

Ain't that the truth.

 

I discovered Babymetal, and that alone made this group worthwhile

 

The introduction to Siscia in RIC VIII (p. 339) notes that all three augusti, Constantine II, Constantius and Constans, quickly adopted MAX after the death of Constantine I but in short order Constantius and Constans, as junior augusti, dropped MAX in favor of PF. Since the (dot)ESIS* mint mark is found only with PF obverses on coins of Constantius and Constans, the Constantinus MAX of the same mark can only be Constantine II. Thus, Kent notes, only coins of the prior mark (without dot), continued from the previous reign, are ambiguous for Constantine I/II, since that issue began while Constantine I was still alive yet also includes MAX AVG for Constantius and Constans.

 

For months...actually a couple years, I only read the posts and did NOT participate. I was not ready. I slowly gained coin knowledge that I could couple with my passion for Ancient Histories. I had been to other forums, but this forum seems more personable...more realistic and "tolerant" to novices.

I find folks genuine as well as very helpful. I can truly call out a few people that backed away from bidding against me to allow me to successfully capture some coins that I really wanted. I also have wonderful people private message me with great advice as well as guidance on coins. Some have helped me identify fakes, and some have graciously offer coins at very fair pricing.

I do not feel a competiveness between members, rather there appears to be a bond of comaraderie as well as support. I have truly enjoyed everyone here, and have truly enjoyed their sharing knowledge. This has fueled my passion further.

My hat is off to everyone here who has shared their knowledge and passion. I have enjoyed everyone's contribution. And yes, I continue to learn and appreciate you all's support. That is August and Awesome.

 

I really enjoy CT too. I like threads that focus on particular coin-types (eg Augustus/Agrippa crocodile dupondii). There's a lot of knowledge in this forum and I discover things I did not know.

I find this to be a much friendlier venue than a certain other one I can name, where there are too many rules (eg people get upset if you post more than one coin in a thread, or veer slightly off-topic).

 

This is a Cool, Collected, and Fun place, am I right?

 

That could be, but the "too many rules" bit makes me think Forvm instead . I do browse Forvm somewhat regularly, primarily just the Fakes board, but the Seinfeld Soup Nazi scenes play in my head while I do. I'd post there more often but I don't enjoy getting spanked. It's certainly a valuable board but I wish it were more user-friendly.

 

+1

 

Ditto

 

Exactly! You nailed it.

 

Maybe they need more emoticons?

 

Lol!