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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;lehmansterms, post: 2827923, member: 80804&quot;]That 354 date must be some sort of typo. The VRBS and CONSTANTINOPOLIS pieces, as well as the GLORIA EXRCITVS soldiers and standard(s) as well as a few family commems were all issued concurrently, beginning in 330 in honor of the inauguration of the new administrative capital at Constantinople (and to attempt to convince Romans in Rome that they had not been forgotten). These were, as I understand it, centenionales. The centenionalis had been introduced by Constantine in 318 to replace the follis. (It wasn&#039;t a clean break because Licinius kept minting folles - some in the name of Constantine and sons - at the mints he controlled for a few years thereafter, into the early 320&#039;s.)</p><p>Almost all the silvered billon &quot;Æ3&quot; centenionalis types featured secular rather than pagan reverses. Where folles typically had deities or near-deity personifications as their reverse types, the new centenionalis, although not particularly different in fabric or size, typically used military, secular or Vota types on its reverses - probably in deference to Constantine&#039;s political adoption of Christianity. The centenionalis suffered the same fate as all the other Roman fiat denominations, gradually shrinking down to an &quot;Æ4&quot; module by the time of the later posthumous issues, city commems, and the VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN 2 Victories type, and an issue of Vota-within-wreath types for each of the two surviving sons of Constantine in 346/7. In 348, the centenionalis was abandoned in favor of the new silvered majorina - the various FEL TEMP REPARATIO types (and a couple others, less commonly encountered types) belong to the majorina coinage. These were originally &quot;Æ2&#039;s&quot; in module although they, too, dwindled down in size rather quickly. 354 is, I believe (need to check it) the date of the demise of Constantius Gallus, but there was no sweeping official re-coinage at that time. Gallus and Constantius II used the same types and denominations. The majorina had shrunk down to smallish Æ3 size by that time and a large percentage of the circulating coin - typically these were fallen horseman FEL TEMPS, then the SPES REPVBLICE&#039;s as well from ca. 355 onward - were actually contemporary copies by that time. </p><p>The next reassessment of the coinage came under Julian.&nbsp; He restored the centenionalis and some feel the Apis-bull SECVRITAS REIPVB Æ1 &quot;double majorina&quot; was an attempt to bring back the Diocletianic follis. </p><p>The brief flirtation of Constantius II, Magnentius and Decentius with an Æ1 double majorina is sort of a fluke in this progression - but a short-lived one.</p><p>The general dating for those pieces belonging to the centenionalis coinage runs from 318-348. Aside from how important to him the &quot;haircut&quot; Gallus received from his cousin in 354 may have been, I don&#039;t believe there was any significant change in the monetary system in 354. SPES REIPVBLICAE&#039;s were introduced in 355 and the Æ/billon coinage was not reformed until Julian&#039;s time, ca 361.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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