Hello friends. I’ve got a very nice selection of inexpensive Romans available this week, $20 apiece. Add some ancients to your collection! These are excellent coins: all of them grade F or higher, with strong devices, and clean, lovely patinas...no dogs or pigs or culls of any breed. Paypal, checks, money orders. PM me if interested. ALL PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING IN THE US WITH TRACKING. 14-day returns, no hassles, I’ll even pay the return postage. If you would like more of a selection, I still have coins available on this thread. 1. SOLD 2. Constans, c. 323 - 350 AD AE4: 17mm, 1.9g, 12h; Siscia Mint: 347-348 Obv.: CONSTA-NS PF AVG; Rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right Rev.: VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN; Two Victories standing, facing each other, each holding wreath and palm // dot ASIS dot Reference: RIC VIII Siscia 185 (p. 363) This coin is a choice example of the small issues that immediately preceded the reforms of 348, which standardized the larger cententionalis. Because of their tiny size, these coins usually exhibit weak, off-center strikes. This example has crisp details, complete inscriptions, and smooth, clean surfaces - an important and very inexpensive addition to any collection of Constantine-era bronzes. (The fact that ancient engravers could carve out so much detail in such a small space never ceases to amaze me.) $20 The personification of victory was a common theme on Late Roman Bronzes, but this coin exhibits a feature found only on these issues of Constans: the legend VICTORIAE D(OMINORVM) AVG(VSTORVM) Q(VE) N(OSTRORVM), or “Victory to our lords and emperors.” The obverse of the coin features a stylized portrait of the young Constans wearing a type of body armor known as a cuirass, and a diadem consisting of rosettes. The legend reads CONSTANS P(IVS) F(ELIX) AVG(VSTVS), or “Constans, Pius and Happy (or Lucky) Augustus.” Constans was the youngest of the three sons of Constantine the Great and Fausta. He was given command of the central region of the empire by his father, which included modern-day Italy, territories along the East coast of the Adriatic, and Northern Africa. After a period of vicious sibling rivalry, Constans’ forces eventually ambushed and assassinated his brother Constantine II. His victory, however, was short-lived. Anger in the army over his corruption, personal lifestyle, and preference for barbarian bodyguards led to a revolt under the usurper Magnentius, and Constans met the fate of his older brother in 350 AD. The oldest son, Constantius II would eventually defeat Magnentius to take sole rule of the empire. 3. Valentinian I, 321-375 AD AE17, 2.5g, 6h; Siscia mint, 364-367 AD Obv.: DN VALENTINIANVS PF AVG; diademed, draped & cuirassed bust r. Rev.: GLORIA RO-MANORVM; Emperor advancing r., dragging captive with r. hand and holding labarum in l. / P - star / K // BSISCV Reference: RIC IX Siscia 14a (p. 147), mint mark xxvi (p. 142) Here’s a strong coin of Valentinian: well-centered, with smooth, pristine surfaces and a glossy green patina. The detail on the reverse is excellent for the issue - a great choice for the collector of Late Roman types. $20 On this coin, the emperor is seen wearing the royal diadem and a type of torso armor known as a cuirass. The legend expands to D(OMINVS) N(OSTER) VALENTINIANVS P(IVS) F(ELIX) AVG(VSTVS), or Our Lord Valentinianus, Pious and Happy Augustus. The reverse presents the emperor dragging a captive, holding a banner on which we see the Christian chi-rho symbol. The meaning is quite clear. Many of the later rulers of the Roman Empire were as militant about promoting Christianity as their predecessors had been militant about persecuting the new religion. "The Glory of Rome" is the inscription around the scene, and the coin is literally sprinkled with mint and control marks, which was common for the era. SIS stands for Siscia, and B stands for the second officina, or workshop of the mint. The other symbols, P, K, V, and the star obviously had some sort of complex meaning to the Romans, but if they wrote it all down, the papers have not survived, and we are left to guess. 4. Constantine I, 272-337 AE3: 20mm, 2.7g, 12h; Heraclea mint: 326 Obv.: CONSTANTINVS AVG; Laureate head right Rev.: D N CONSTANTINI MAX AVG; laurel wreath enclosing VOT/XXX // SMHBdot Reference: RIC VII, Heraclea 82 (p. 552) Here’s a handsome coin of Constantine the Great with a Vota reverse, circumscribed by a wreath. This coin has strong devices and a pleasant dark-green patina. $20 "Vota: (plural of votum). A vow made to a god in order to obtain a divine favor stipulated in advance. The granting of the request obliged the vower to fulfill his promise. This usually took the form of a sacrifice to the deity or an offering to his (or her) temple. Public vota in Imperial times were normally for the welfare of the emperor over a stated period of time (five or ten years) and were regularly undertaken (vota suscepta) and hopefully paid (vota soluta). Sometimes they were more specific, relating to the safety of the emperor on a particularly hazardous journey or military campaign, or the current state of his health. The undertaking and fulfillment of these public vows was frequently recorded on the coinage and in the late Empire especially may provide useful evidence for the chronological arrangement of issues." - David Sear In the case of this coin, the appearance of the inscription VOT XXX follows directly on the heels of Constantine’s vicennalia of July 325, and it’s assumed with confidence that this votum is associated with his 20th anniversary celebration. 5. Constantine I, 272-337 AE3: 22mm, 2.9g, 12h; Aquilea mint Obv.: CONSTANTINVS AVG; Laureate head right Rev.: D N CONSTANTINI MAX AVG; laurel wreath enclosing VOT/XXX // SMHBdot This is another Vota/Wreath type. I found this coin interesting because it’s struck on an over-sized flan. It also exhibits nice detail and a pleasant patina. For notes on the Vota types, see the above coin. $20
