Coins of the Roman Emperor Constantius II
(Caesar 324-337 and Augustus 337-361)
All his types of bronze coins.
This site has 5 pages:
1) This page which lists all the types in tables (with links to images)
2) A page with one image of each type. (Image to the right: Constantius II on type F411.)
3) A page with additional images of FEL TEMP REPARATIO coins.
4) A page with additional images of types of Vetranio
5) A page with additional images of other types.
What's in the tables? The tables below lists a type set for Constantius II. It list all 39 of his bronze reverse types, but not varieties. Images are on a linked page. The same basic reverse design and legend from different mints is regarded as one type. My use of the terms type and variety is discussed below. The primary references are RIC VII and RIC VIII, but many types are issued from many mints and several obverses and would not have a unique RIC ID number, so I have chosen to use Failmezger numbers because his ID numbers are for reverse types. What this page contributes is the extraction of the types of one emperor--Constantius II.
Types of Constantius II fall into five broad categories:
1) Types as Caesar (324-337) Table 1.
2) Types as Augustus before the coin-reform of 348 (337-348) Table 2.
3) FEL TEMPREPARATIO types of the reform of 348. Table 3.
4) Types issued by Vetranio (March 1, 350 to Dec 25, 350) in the name of Constantius II. Table 4.
5) other post-reform types (348-361) Table 5.
Note for collectors: You are welcome to copy these tables to use them as a checklist.
Failmezger #(image link) AE size |
Type (a page of images) | Rarity |
F338, AE3 | CONSTANTIVS CAESAR horizontally, anepigraphic obverse | S |
F342, AE3 | VOT V in wreath, CAESARVM NOSTRORVM (Only Thessalonica) | S |
F354-5, AE3 | PROVIDENTIAE CAESS, campgate | C |
F361-2 AE3 | VIRTVS CAESS, campgate | S |
F365, AE4 | GLORIA EXERCITVS two soldiers and two standards | C |
F372, AE4 | GLORIA EXERCITVS, two soldiers and one standard (This type is also used as Augustus, F381) |
C |
F371, AE4 | CONSTANTIVS CAES, Roma standing left holds transverse spear and Victory (RIC VII Rome 410, "r5") | RRR |
F375, AE4 | SECVRITAS REIPVB, Securitas leans on column (This type is also used as Augustus, F385) |
R |
Failmezger #(image link) |
Type (a page of images) | Rarity |
F381, AE4 | GLORIA EXERCITVS two soldier and one standard (had also been used as Caesar, F372) |
C |
F385, AE4 | SECVRITAS REIP, Securitas leans on column (had also been used as Caesar, F375) |
S |
F388, AE4 | VIRTVS AVGG NN, emperor with spear and shield. Only Trier | R |
F389, AE4 | VIRTVS AVGVSTI, emperor with spear and shield. Only Rome | R |
F392, 394 AE4 | VICT AVG[G], Victory with wreath and palm. Only Alexandria and Antioch | S |
F394, AE4 | VICTORIA AVGG, Victory with wreath and palm, sometimes with chi-rho in left field | S |
F396, AE4 | VICTORIA AVGG, Victory with two wreaths, sometimes with chi-rho in right field. | S |
F unlisted, AE4 | VICTORIA AVGVSTORV, Victory standing left with wreath and palm (RIC VIII Lugdunum 36 "R") | RR |
F398, AE4 | VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN, two Victories facing each other | C |
F401, AE4 | VOT XV MVLT XX in wreath. Only Antioch | R |
F402, AE4 | VOT XX MVLT XXX in wreath | C |
Failmzger #(image link) AE size |
Type (a page with images) | Rarity |
F409, 461-4 AE2-3 |
FEL TEMP REPARATIO, soldier spearing fallen horseman (comes in various sizes 24-17 mm) |
C |
F408, F426 AE2 |
FEL TEMP REPARATIO, emperor on galley, holds phoenix or Victory, Victory at rudder (This is an AE2. The AE3 is next) | C |
F414, AE3 | FEL TEMP REPARATIO, emperor on galley, holds phoenix or Victory (AE3, similar to but smaller than the previous type--thought to be a half denomination) | C |
F410, AE2 | FEL TEMP REPARATIO, emperor leads barbarian from hut underneath a tree (different varieties for each mint) |
C |
F411, AE2 | FEL TEMP REPARATIO, emperor with two captives to left | C |
F412, AE2 | FEL TEMP REPARATIO, horseman rides down two foes | RR |
F425, AE2 | FEL TEMP REPARATIO, emperor and one captive to left. Only Thessalonica. | R |
F413, F451 AE3 |
FEL TEMP REPARATIO, phoenix on pyre (looks like a pile of rocks) | C |
F413, AE3 | FEL TEMP REPARATIO, phoenix on globe | S |
F465, AE3 | FEL TEMP REPARATIO, large M in center. Only Rome. (RIC VIII Rome 313, "R3") | RRR |
Failmezger #(image link) AE size |
Type (a page of images) | Rarity |
F415, AE2 | CONCORDIA MILITVM, emperor with two standards with chi-rhos | S |
F416, AE2 | HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS, Emperor standing holding standard with chi-rho, to r. is Victory, crowning him with wreath and holding palm branch | S |
F418, AE3 | GLORIA ROMANORVM, Emperor standing front, holding standard with chi-rho and reversed spear. | R |
F419, AE3 | VIRTVS AVGVSTORVM, Emperor standing right holding spear and globe, kicking captive. | R |
Failmezger #(image link) AE size |
Type (a page of images) | Rarity |
F429, AE2 | GLORIA ROMANORVM, horseman spears foe | S |
F431, AE2 | GLORIA ROMANORVM, emperor raises city of Aquileia. Only Aquileia. (RIC VIII Aquileia 186, "R4") | RRR |
F433, AE2 | SALVS AVG NOSTRI, large chi-rho. Only Trier. | S |
F466, AE3 | SPES REIPVBLICAE, emperor stands with globe and reversed spear | C |
F442, AE2 | VICT DD NN AVG ET CAES, two Victories hold shield inscribed VOT XXX, chi-rho above. (RIC VIII Rome 251-2 "R2") | RR |
F455, AE4 | VICTORIA AVGVSTORM, Victory adv left holding up wreath in each hand. Only Siscia and Sirmium. | RR |
F456, AE4 | VICTORIA CAESARIS, Victory adv left with wreath and palm. Only at Siscia. |
RR |
"Types" and "varieties". The line between "type" and "variety" is fine. Is a gampgate with four towers different from an otherwise-similar campgate with three towers? Yes, for some collectors, but, for purposes of this page, it is regarded as a different variety of the same type. Some basic designs have varieties of special interest. For example, the extremely common GLORIA EXERCITVS with two standards very rarely has a Christian chi-rho between the standards. As a collectible, the chi-rho variety is far more valuable. Does that make it a different type? For purposes of this page, chi-rho variety is regarded as a variety, so the answer is "No". What about different sizes of the same design? The common soldier spearing fallen horseman; type comes is sizes from 24 mm down to 17 mm:
Where should the line between types be drawn? Academically, and in RIC, mint and field marks allow us to distinguish issues. I choose not to draw those distinctions and call them all one "type". Collectors have good reasons to prefer the larger examples and distinguish mints and special varieties, but this page does not.
This page is about reverse types. Some of the types, especially those as Caesar, come with various bust varieties. Interesting bust varieties may add a large premium to the value, but are not part of this list of reverse types. You are, of course, welcome to distinguish varieties as important to your collection in any way you like.
References.
RIC VII (for coins as Caesar)
RIC VIII (for coins as Augustus)
Failmezger, Victor. Roman Bronze Coins From Paganism to Christianity: 294-364 A.D. 2002. Hardcover, 156 page plus 42 color plates. A very good book with very many color photographs and tables of all sorts of things (e.g. historical events, FEL TEMP REPARATIO varieties) of interest to collectors.
Bruck, Guido. Die Spätrömische Kupferprägung. 1961. Hardcover. xiv plus 101 pages of drawings by type with emphasis on how to distinguish differences including emperors, mints, headdresses, adjuncts, legend breaks, etc. Also has counts by ruler and mint, making is easier to tell which types belong to which rulers. It is in German, but that hardly matters except for the introduction. This book has been largely reproduced on line here:
https://www.tesorillo.com/aes/home.htm (It lacks the counts of how many of each type were in the sample collection.)
For example, which mints have "soldier-spearing-fallen-horseman" in the "sitting" variety? This site will tell you by showing you drawings of the different poses with their mints given: https://www.tesorillo.com/aes/024/024i.htm
Links: Continue with page 2, a page with one image of each type.
1) This page was page 1. Return to the top of this page.
2) Continue with page 2, a page with one image of each type.
3) A page with additional images of FEL TEMP REPARATIO types.
4) A page with additional images of types of Vetranio
5) A page with additional images of other types.
Go to the main Table of Contents of this whole educational web site.