The attraction of the FIL AVGG coins of Constantine I and Maximinus II for me is that they show a title (Filius Augustorum, "Son of the Augusti") that the two rulers upon whom it had been conferred rejected. We have the coins thanks to Galerius, ruling Senior Augustus of the second tetrarchy, who made up the title and had the coins struck at the mints that he controlled. It was a rather weak attempt on his part at placating Constantine and Maximinus while at the same time denying their claims to the purple. Accordingly, they refused to use it themselves and told him where he coud stick it. Warren Esty has the full story and all the pictures summarizing these short-lived issues here: http://esty.ancients.info/FILAVGG/ MAXIMINUS II DAIA as Filius Augustorum AE Follis 6.25g, 26.7mm Thessalonica mint, 4th officina, AD 309-310 RIC VI 39a (S) O: MAXIMINVS FIL AVGG, laureate head right. R: VIRTVTI E-XERVITVS, Mars advancing right, holding spear and trophy; star and delta in field, dot SM dot TS dot in exergue. I'd been looking for an example of one of these scarce types for awhile and was happy to score this one for a decent price. It's a pleasing-looking coin on the whole, and for post-reform tetrarchic coins that can get almost boringly well-made and uniform in style and appearance, I'm considering the flat/double struck funniness going on on the reverse a plus . After I picked this one up, I also managed to get a Constantine FIL AVGG, which is on the way. I'll post that one when it arrives.
You have a better reverse type. Even though the obverse uses the new title note the reverse is still Caesar. Constantine as FIL AVG from Heraclea
Hey zumbly, it is a very nice coin and historically interesting. Those two emperors are the only ones sporting that title. I'm anxious to see the Constantine you mentioned.
Thanks for the compliments, everyone. The Constantine is also from Thessalonica, but with the more common GENIO CAESARIS reverse. Thanks for your work on that page, by the way, I love it!
Great coins, Zumbly and Doug! Yes, this legend type is on my want last, but I'm being a cheapskate - I would prefer to cherrypick one. Unfortunately, the only examples I've been able to find were for sale by dealers who understood their rarity and charged accordingly.
Atta-boy, Z-Bro ... that's an awesome addition, dawg!! (congrats) Maximinus-II, eh? ... => yup, I do happen to have one of those babies to share with you folks (yummy) Maximinus II AE Follis Date: 308 AD Diameter: 24.3 mm Weight: 8.2 grams Obverse: GAL VAL MAXIMINVS NOB CAES - Laureate bust of Maximinus II Reverse: VIRTVS EXERCITVS - Mars in military dress, holding transverse spear, shield and trophy over shoulder. X in l. field, B/K in right field References: RIC 83 Congrats again => we're "kinda" coin-bros!! (mine is a NOB CAES)
Just arrived - my Constantine FIL AVGG, also from the Thessalonica mint, but with the more common Genius reverse type. As Doug pointed out above, the reverse still employs the Caesar title. CONSTANTINE I as Filius Augustorum AE Follis 6.01g, 24.6mm Thessalonica mint, AD 309-10 RIC VI 32b (S) O: CONSTANTINVS.FIL AVGG, laureate head right. R: GENIO CA-ESARIS, Genius standing left pouring liquid from patera and holding cornucopia; dot SM dot TS dot in exergue, star in left field, delta in right field.
Here is something that fits in this thread although not a FIL AVGG. This coin is probably a transitory type between either CAES to FIL AVGG or FIL AVGG to CAES, so rather at the end of RIC's Group IV section i) than at the start. Either that or it's a RIC error, so that at Antioch the normal types would be NOB CAES obv. paired with GENIO CAESARIS rev. and FIL AVGG with both GENIO FIL AVGG *and* GENIO CAESARIS. It's not recorded in RIC, I know of 2 others: ANS also Similar to this specimen for sale at ancientimports.com: CONSTANTIN I AE23mm 5.58g follis (VF) AV: FL VAL CONSTANTINVS NOB CAES; laureate head right. REV: GENIO CA-ESARIS* genio naked, chlamys over left shoulder (falls low) patera from which liquid flows, cornucopiae, modius on head. crescent in left field, E right field. EXE: ANT Antioch mint. REF: similar to RIC VI Antioch 104 unlisted obverse legend 308-309AD.
