I'm really trying not to just post pictures and ask for identifications. Even though it could use some more soaking and scrubbing, pretty sure this one's right. Obverse: Arcadius Reverse: Arcadius being crowned by Victory A.D. 395-401
Your coin is Constantius II (CONSTANTI- VS P F AVG), with two victories facing each other holding wreaths--VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN . It is from Siscia and the mintmark looks like dot delta SIS dot. RIC VIII Siscia 184
I am awful at this. Thanks for the help. Maybe I'll get this one: Obverse: Constantius II (but not sure because the coin is trimmed) Reverse: VOT XX MVLT XXX in a wreath (but the picture is upside down) A.D. 337-361
A hint for IDing late Roman coins. Always start with the reverse. After you have IDed the reverse you can rule out all the people who did NOT issue that reverse. I guess in this case, that might not work so well for you since you say the two Victories as one Victory and one emperor. That brings up hint #2. Practice IDing nicer coins even if you are not buying them. I do not recommend beginners buy coins in such bad shape that you can't tell a Victory from an emperor but it seems to be the popular course. In any event is is a lot easier to learn what to expect on these common coins by looking a clear specimens so, later with practice, the less clear ones will seem more familiar. Compare your coin to the one below. They are not the same because of the dots in the mintmark. Your coin is even a little more clear on the VICT at the reverse left which shows it can't be the Arcadius since that coin reads VIRT. Perhaps it will be easier to see points of ID that are on your coin if you compare the two. Again for comparison, below is an Arcadius of the type you suspected (but a different mint - Antioch). Note in particular the lack of the second wreath which is clear on your coin. The more you look at your coin, the more letters and detail points will jump out to you. There is nothing you can do that will help you learn coins better than handling a few thousand of them. If this is not possible, second choice is looking at a few thousand photos. Fortunately, the Internet is making this easier every day. Also, don't be afraid to post your questions and guesses here. I believe your second one is OK but that coin has a lot fewer good points so you may have all the ID on it you will get.
https://www.vcoins.com/en/Search.as...cords=100&SearchOnSale=False&Unassigned=False Searching for Constantius two victories on vCoins turned up several similar coins but no exact matches. There are many, many variations. After looking at them you might note that many of the coins have something between the two victories. Does yours? It is hard to tell at this stage of the cleaning so you may have been right that there is more soaking in its future.
You guys rule. I know my coins are crappy and hard to ID. I really just enjoy taking an unidentifiable chunk of dirt and sort of deciphering the mystery of what it is and where it came from. I just need to ID ten or so more and then I can start searching for another uncleaned/unidentified lot to start with. Hopefully the next group will be in better shape. I also realize I need to work on ID techniques. Right now I just use Google images with whatever letters I can decipher. Then if I find one with an image that looks close, I'll take the name of that coin and search other images. If that ends up a dead end, I start over or back up a few pages. Thanks again for taking the time to respond and offer up such great advice.
Man that sounds like the hard way of finding an identification. There are web sites like the one @Ajax mentioned where you can input partial inscriptions to narrow down your selection. Also use sites like Wildwinds, Helvetica's Help Pages, and Dirty Old Coins research services. If you can take an educated guess based on appearance, mint, partial lettering, etc., it will make your job easier and more enjoyable. However, Doug is correct (as usual). Practice on coins in better condition until you are more confident. Good luck.
I love the feeling of discovery of cleaning coins as well. I get the bug every few weeks and clean up a dozen or so. In addition to the usual LRBs, I have found some cool stuff: lots of antoninianii, Gallic coins, a Claudius quadrans, a few denarius, and some Roman provincials.
