My Top 10 LRB's for 2021

An exquisite coin, Victor.

 

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For comparison: the common one with A. Do you attach a meaning to the bust vs. head beyond that they made some dies each way? Do you see a style that suggests two cutters or any other coded meaning?

 

Thanks...the DAFNE series is one of my favorite to collect

The head only was the transitional type issued right after GLORIA EXERCITVS, GLORIA ROMANORVM, LIBERTAS PVBLICA, and SPES PVBLIC which were heads only, and they started the transition from laurel to diadem. There is also a head only with eyes to heaven, with legend and anepigraphic.

 

During Constantine's rule there's a progression of bust types coordinated across mints, that's unrelated to the reverse types each mint is issuing. Normally the reverse types are coordinated too, although there are some times such as here at Constantinople that the mints are issuing different types.

The bust type progression is from LDC/LC -> laureate -> diademed -> diademed eyes-to-heaven -> rosette-diademed draped & cuiraissed.

When the Constantinople mint first opened c.326 AD the laureate busts were still in effect, then switched to diademed before the DAFNE type started. The DAFNE type lasted long enough that it spanned the diademed, diademed eyes-to-heaven and final rosette-diademed draped & cuirassed bust types (so these bust types correspond to different production dates).

The diademed eyes-to-heaven bust, on the bronze, is only seen at Constantinople (DAFNE) and the neighboring mints of Heraclea (VOT XXX) and Cyzicus (campgate).

 

I just won this coin and I would probably re-arrange my listing to include it. It's not as sharp as the confronted bust coin that won the poll, but I think it is still pretty awesome and I didn't have an example of this one.



Licinius I & Licinius II
A.D. 320- 321
22mm 3.4g
DD NN IOVII LICINII INVICT AVG ET CAES; laureate and draped confronted busts, together holding Victory on globe with wreath in each hand.
I O M ET VICT CONSERV D D N N AVG ET CAES; Victory stg. r. palm branch in l, hand, offering wreath to Jupiter stg. l., chlamys across left shoulder, holding sceptre.
In ex. SMKΔ
RIC VII Cyzicus 13

 

Jupiter seems to be channeling Crocodile Dundee there !