Constantinian

This page has coins of AD 306-364, coins of
Constantine and his relatives, and Vetranio, Magnentius, Decentius, and Jovian.

TERMS: Prices are in brackets: [$xx]. I accept PayPal and Zelle (which I prefer in the US--here is why) and checks and cash. Postage in the US is $2 for orders up to $25, $3 for orders up to $50, $4 for orders up to $100, and an additional $2 for each hundred thereafter. Usually an additional $3 to other countries. From other countries I prefer TransferWise. Here is why: http://augustuscoins.com/TW.html . More-detailed terms of sale are here.
After I confirm by e-mail that I still have the coin, you can pay by logging into your account and sending PayPal or Zelle payment to my e-mail address.
To order, or to ask any questions, e-mail me, Warren, at: e-mail

Purple marks items that have sold and are no longer available.

2024, June 1: Three coins of Constantine.
2024, May 31: Three more at the top.
2024, May 25: Five Constantinian coins, plus lowered prices on ALL the others. Sold coins removed entirely. All but the most recent coins have reorganized to be ordered by emperor in chronological order. Take a look throught the whole page. A lot has changed!
May 19: Seven new Constantinian coins below.

A new page of ancient imitations from the time of Constantine . (I spent years working on my collection of imitations and now I am passing some of them along.)

Skip past the newest and jump down to Constantinian by emperor in chronological order.

Newest:

Constantine, 307-337
19-18 mm.
Bust in fancy crested helmet right
VIRTVS EXERCIT
VOT/XX on banner on standard
two captives below
PT for Ticinum
A lovely coin of a scarcer type.
Good details. You can see the faces on the captives, and the reverse centering is excellent. A nice coin. [$33 SOLD]
If you want, you can spend $475 for something similar:
https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/athena_numismatics/18/product/constantine_i__follis_aquileia_ad_320/1592365/Default.aspx

Sol holds Victory!
Constantine, 307-337
The basic type is very common:
SOLI INVICTO COMITI (comrade of the invincible Sun god)
but it is rare to have Sol holding anything but a globe.
RIC Rome 49
Ex Dionysos (Germany) Dec. 2012. I paid $49 for it in 2012, recognizing how unusual it was.
(As I write, I got 242 hits on vcoins for "Constantine SOLI INVICTO", but I looked at them all and saw none with Sol holding Victory. A seach on "Constantine SOLI INVICTO victory" returned 0 items. )
It could be nicer, but I don't know when another will appear. [still $49 SOLD]

Constantine, 307-33719 mm.
SOLI INVICTO COMITI
Sol standing left, right hand raised, left holding a globe
field marks
RP for Rome [$15, reduced to $14 SOLD]

CONSTANTINOPOLI [no "S"]
17.3 mm.
This spelling was used at the four mints around the Bosporus.
Victory advancing left, foot on tiny prow.
SMNB for Nicomedia. [$17, reduced to $15 SOLD]
The CONSTANTINOPOLIS type comes spelled without the terminal "S" at four mints (Constantinople, Cyzicus, Heraclea, Nicomedia) located around the Propontus (Sea of Marmora, near Constantinople). According to John Kent (author of RIC VIII) this "reflects the fall of the terminal -s in the spoken language and provides an interesting hint as to how instructions reached the engravers." I presume he means that he thinks those four mints received instructions from the same source, there was a oral stage in the transmission, and it was a regionally accepted pronunciation. The missing "S" sound reminds me of modern French pronunciation.

Constantius II,
22 mm
FEL TEMP REPARATIO
Soldier spearing fallen horseman
ANB for Antioch
[$19, reduced to $17]

If you want to know about early Christian symbolism on ancient coins, there are good websites, my own among them:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Christian/ChristianSymbols.html
and Victor Clark has another:
http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/symbols/

The first three are rare and special.

Constantine as FIL AVG
FL VAL CONSTANTIUS FIL AVG
GENIO CAESARIS
RIC Alexandria 100b.
ex Numismatic Art and Ancient Coins, auction 3, July 30, 1982, lot 168.
Read the story of FIL AVG types here: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/FILAVGG/
A lovely rust-colored follis of Alexandria.
Wonderful surfaces and excellent portrait.
Look at the abs on Genius! Seldom offered. An outstanding coin with lovely color! [$349, reduced to $319]
Compare with this one at $2800! https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4064125

Constantine, 306-307-337.
Rare 17-15 mm fraction. 2.14 grams.
Rare denomination!
Struck as Caesar Summer 307.
For some unclear reason Trier struck low-denomination coins hardly struck elsewhere.
FL VAL CONSTANTINVS N C
VO/TIS/X
Zschucke 7.13b, plate p. 48.
RIC VI Trier 750 "R" page 214.
Failmezger 218 "R"
ex Gert Boersema on vcoins, April 7, 2008, at $243.
Not your usual Constantine, on the contray, this is a rare, smaller, denomination [$275, reduced to $259]

Constantine, 307-337
17-16 mm. "half follis"
Struck late 312-early 313
PACI PERPET
Pax standing holding branch and standard
RP in exergue
XII in field left RIC VI Rome 356. Only at Rome, page 391.
[$125, reduced to $85]
Rare. Please compare to prices elsewhere.
ex Esty collection.
ex Aegis-Argos Feb. 11, 1983.

A new page of ancient imitations from the time of Constantine . (I spent years working on my collection of imitations and now I am passing some of them along.)

Constantine
18 mm. 3.15 grams.
Bust in close-fitting helmet with low crest, right.
VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP
around two Victories holding a shield inscribed VOT/PR over table
BSIS in exergue.
RIC Siscia 53. Struck "318-9" [$39]
ex Leu web-auction 18, lot 3370, with their ticket

Constantine the Great, 307-337
19 mm.
CONSTANTINVS AVG. laureate bust of Constantinus left.
Rev: SOL INVICTO COMITI. Sol standing left holding globe.
Nice detailed portrait. [$17, reduced to $15]

Constantine, 307-337.
18 mm. 2.32 grams.
Aquileia. CONSTANTINVS AVG Laureate head right.
Rev. DN CONSTANTINI MAX AVG / VOT / XX in two lines within wreath;
•AQP• in exergue.
[$18, reduced to $15 SOLD]

Constantine, 307-337
18 mm.

VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP
ASIS
Siscia mint
Two Victories holding shield with VOT/PR
over cippus.
Well-centered with full legend.
[$24, reduced to $21]

Constantine, 307-337
18 mm.
VOT XX
MVLT
XXX
TSA

Thessalonica mint (type from this mint only) [$25, reduced to $19]

Constantine 307-337
22-19 mm. Rare
GENIO POPVLI ROMANI
(A type revived after the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, late 312-313)
This reverse is very common on earlier folles of Diocletian and his colleagues, however, it is no longer common under Constantine. Note that this one is distinctly smaller than the earlier folles with this reverse.
RIC Ticinum 117, page 297, plate 4. Scarce
I like the GENIO POPVLI ROMANI varieties and this one is remarkably late. Ticinum and Rome were the only mints to issue GPR after the Battle and before the death of Maximinus II in 313. The mints that had already been under Constantine had already moved on to using the shorter GENIO POP ROM legend. This mint had been under Maxentius.
[$85, reduced to $75] I am a big fan of GENIO POPVLI ROMANI coins. This type, so late, is hard to find.

Ancient imitation (probably from the Danube region)
18 mm.
"Two Victories" reverse of Constantine
Bust left (which is unusual in this series)
[$12, reduced to $9]
ex Vecchi in London, 1996. (no ticket)

Crispus, 317-326
18 mm.
CRISPVS NOB CAES. laureate bust of Crispus left.
CAESARVM NOSTRORVM / VOT X. laurel wreath.
AQS
[$19, reduced to $15]

Crispus 317-326
Executed by his father in 326.
19 mm.
FL IVL CRISPVS NOB CAES
Bust left
VOT X
CAESARVM NOSTRORVM
PLGC Lugdunum mint
RIC VII Lyons 220 "r3"
Nice portrait, left. [$27, reduced to $24]

[$115, reduced to $85, reduced to $75] Crispus, 317-326, struck 320-321 [RIC]
VO/TIS/V CAESARVM NOSTRORVM PA
Unusual type with long spelling of VOTIS and no wreath.
As I write this there are 464 coins that come up with a "Crispus" search on vcoins, and none have this VOTIS type (not just variety--none of the type!) RIC VII Arles 220 "r3" from one officina only (2 mints--there are three "r5" varieties at Lyons)

Delmativs, Caesar 335-337
This coin struck 18 Sept. - end of 335
with two standards
between two soldiers (One standard took over in 336 and was smaller)
18 mm. 2.42 grams.
Large for a Delmatius. They are usually with one standard.
FL DELMATIVS NOB C
GLORIA EXERCITVS (glory of the army)
•ASIS• for Siscia
RIC Siscia 239 (was R5 long ago but more have appeared since then)
Sear IV 16878 no photo.

[$69, reduced to $65] Nice grade. Well-centered. Full flan. Compare with vcoins prices for other two-standard examples. (None are under $100 as I write, and they are not better.)
ex Andy Burnett at the Cumberland Coin Fair, London, March 2, 1996. Ex Esty collection.

IOVI CONSERVATORI
XIIΓ for 12 1/2 (the denomination)
He looks like a boy, which he was.

[$23, reduced to $19]

[$29, reduced to $26] Constantine II, 317-337-340. as Caesar
19 mm. 3.04 grams.
BEATA TRANQVILLITAS
globe on altar

[$49, reduced to $35, reduced to $31] Constantine II, 317-337-340.
Struck 319-320. RIC VII Siscia 99v (unlisted for Gamma), page 436.
VICT LAETAE PRINCE PERP, two Victories
Interesting portrait. Unlisted officina.

Constans, son of Constantine.
19-17 mm. 1.77 grams. Slightly larger than many GE coins.
CONSTANS NOB CAES
GLORIA EXERCITVS with two standards. (Most of his have only one standard because he didn't become Caesar until 333 and the very common type soon switched from two standards to one.
SMTSΔ
RIC Thessalonica 225 "336-7"
Lovely earthen cover. [$19, reduced to $16]

[$49, reduced to $31] Constans. 337-350 AD. AE4.
Scarce SECVRITAS REIP.
A rare type in good grade, not ever found full flan.
RIC VIII p. 249f.

Constans. Full-size ancient imitation. AE23-20. 4.95 grams.
DN CONSTA-NS PF AVG, legible letters on obverse
/illegible letter-like forms, possibly resembling "AQP" in exergue (for Aquileia mint)
Sear 3973 prototype. RIC Aquileia 99. "348- 19 Jan. 350". Page 323. Lovely hard green patina. Seldom offered.
[$85, reduced to $79, reduced to $] Have you seen any full-sized FTR imitations before?

[$23, reduced to $19. A nice example.] Constantius II, 324-337-361.
"M" on standard. An unusual variety for having the M.
AE15. GLORIA EXERCITVS, Trier mint.
RIC 108. ex Baldwin's in London, 1988.

Magnentius, 350-353
Large ancient imitation
21 mm. 3.78 grams.
VOT V MVLT X on shiled held by two Victories
VICTORIA DD NN AVG ET CAE intended around
Prototype possibly RIC Lyon 122, page 186
Legend nicely garbled, but close. Good portrait.
Bastien notes a good fraction of Magnentius coins are actually imitations.
ex Baldwin's in London, May 17, 1988. [$37, reduced to $33]

A curiosity! 12 x 9 mm piece cut out of a Magnentius chi-rho type. All that remains is the end of the X.
Bought as part of a large group of ancient imitations (although this is not an imitation, rather a piece cut down) from Italo Vecchi Jan. 29, 1996 in London.
0.71 grams. In the 5th century when AE4's were the only size AE, larger coins from earlier were cut down to match the weights of the current coins. Go to local coin shows in England and you will see very many small imitations and cut-down pieces about this size. I picked through bags and found some interesting pieces. [$13, reduced to $11. You would need to look at thousands of coins, as I did, to find a cut-down chi-rho of Magnentius like this.]

[$57, reduced to $49] Magnentius, 350-353
22-21 mm.
VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE
Two victories with shied inscribed
VOT V MVLT X
SV below, RPLG in exergue.
RIC Lyons = Lugdunum 130 page 187.
Failmezger 440.
Not quite as green as the picture, and the green is stable and has been since I bought it in 1994.
A very attractive example.

Constantius Gallus, 351-354
19 mm. 2.21 grams.

Soldier-spearing-fallen-horseman

RIC VIII Nicomedia 97

Lovely even green patina. [$19, reduced to $17]

Jovian (AD 363-364)

Jovian, 363-364
VOT V in wreath
Bust left
Nice surfaces
mintmark CONSP (Constantinople)
[$23, reduced to $21, reduced to $19]

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