So after a time of collecting coins of the Tetrarchies from the London Mint, and using Cloke and Toone's superb book as my primary reference, I find myself wanting to learn more about the coinage being produced at other mints around the empire during the same time period. Ideally I would like a reasonable way to be able to compare the types and legends being produced around the Empire during the rather tumultuous period from the institution of the Tetrarchy by Diocletion until the return of a sole Augustus in Constantine. Can anyone tell me how exactly Sear's relevant volume is organised? I only have the second volume covering Nerva until the end of the Severans, and obviously the situation with the mints was far less complicated during that period. Is it relatively simple to be able to find parallel issues from different mints from roughly the same time period? Also, I don't expect it to be comprehensive, but are a wide variety of mintmarks presented within the catalogue, along with the relevant weight alterations, or is there only one entry, for example, for the Soli Invicto Comiti 'type' at a certain mint, with the variety of mint marks using that type noted in one entry? Many thanks.
I am also interested in this answer. I bought volumes I and II but never did the rest. Books and collectors have to choose between being reverse based (Cohen and RIC X) or mint based (RIC I to IX). Sear volumes I and II are denomination first and reverse second based. There are problems with both systems. I hope whoever has Sear IV (or III and V) will not only answer this question but comment on how that arrangement has worked for them.
It has the same general introduction as in volumes I and II, and then resumes the catalog with the coins of the first tetrarchy, beginning with Diocletian. It then covers the rise of the house of Constantine. It covers the Constantinopolis and VRBS ROMA coins, Fausta, Crispus, etc., and ends with Delmatius. Volume V begins with Constantine II Caesar.
I've got the five volumes, but rarely open them. I use the first and second volumes far more than the later ones, as I have few later coins. Here are some pages for Licinius and SOLI INVICTO COMITI which may help answer your questions. They're organised by denomination, then reverse legend for each ruler, so you will have to leaf back and forth to find parallel issues of different rulers. For different mints of the same ruler, they should be close enough to each other. And here's Constantine I: HTH, as they say! Aidan.
I’ve been reading through the Sear Books, and my initial impression is that they are useful for identification and attribution because they are organized by Emperor, denomination, then reverse legend, and he then gives mint marks as well. I find it more useful for the later coinages than the early ones (and I think the later volumes are more complete than the early ones from what I can tell - or at least I have found every LRB I’ve looked for there, but not all of the Severan Dynasty Denari). It’s not useful for the chronology of Roman coins and seeing their evolution (except by emperor)
I purchased all 5 volumes in the series & found them valuable, especially the last two. I didn't have enough coins from the London mint to justify Cloke & Toone's book, & the RIC volumes were out of the question. Sear's volume 4 has a wealth of info with many interesting tidbits in the biographies. I even found one of my coins pictured in his book .