"Invasion coinage" of Constantius

[jamesicus]

FL VAL CONSTANTIVS NOB C ................................ GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI
Constantius
Probable Intermediate Group (b), cuirassed bust, (RIC VI. Londinium, Int 2?)

Lugdunese style "strong jawed" portrait bust, large fibula and laurel wreath long ribbon laying on the neck - similar to RIC Vol. VI, Plate 3, Lugdunum, No. 32b. The obverse bears the early titulature legend rendered using the typical British relatively small, compact and thick lettering, while the reverse has the typical Lugdunum somewhat larger and more delicate letterforms.

James

[jamesicus]

I previously wrote:

MAXIMINVS NOBILIS C .................................. GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI
Maximinus
RIC VI, Londinium, Group II (i), No. 63b (variant, Not in RIC -- bust not draped)

.......... I have always found unmarked Maximinus London mint coins hard to come by.

I have had a particularly hard time finding Maximinus unmarked London Mint coins in VF-EF condition .......... here is an "as listed in RIC" (draped bust) No. 63b:

MAXIMINVS NOBILIS C .................................. GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI
Maximinus
RIC VI, Londinium, Group II (i), No. 63b

I recently acquired the following early second Tetrarchy (305) London Mint issue follis of Maximinus (newly appointed Caesar of the East) - laureate, cuirassed and draped bust:

MAXIMINVS NOBILISSIMVS CAES .................................. GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI
Maximinus
RIC VI, Londinium, Group II (i), No. 59b

This was a nice acquisition for me as it pairs with my Severus (similarly newly appointed Caesar of the West) London Mint issue follis with the same NOBILISSIMVS CAES titulature:

SEVERVS NOBILISSIMVS CAES .................................. GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI
Severus
RIC VI, Londinium, Group II (i), No. 59a

James

[leetoone]

That's a very nice pair of coins, James. I am particularly envious of the Severus which looks like a very sharp coin.

Lee

[jamesicus]

Originally Posted by leetoone

That's a very nice pair of coins, James. I am particularly envious of the Severus which looks like a very sharp coin.

Lee

Thanks, Lee - I am seeking a Severus as Augustus London Mint follis - not easy to come by.

James

[jamesicus]

I have installed a revised web page that is devoted to the various issues of folles produced in Gaul under the auspices of Constantius, Tetrarchic Caesar of the West, at an Unknown Continental Mint (possibly Boulogne) in preparation for his invasion of Britain in 296 and subsequently at the re-opened London Mint (and possibly other British Mints) during his lifetime.

This page includes an enlarged photographic image of the reverse of my bronze copy of the famous ten aurei multiple, (RIC VOLUME VI, TREVERI, No. 34) ..........

.......... the original of which presently resides in the museum at Arras, commemorating the restoration of Britain to the Roman Empire by Constantius in 296. It depicts the personification of Londinium (LON) kneeling and supplicating to Constantius (on horseback) outside the City Fortification while a galley with Roman soldiers waits on the river Thames. The inscription REDDITOR LVCIS AETERNAE proclaims Constantius as the restorer of the eternal light (of Rome). The Treveri (Trier) mint mark (PTR) is in the exergue. This coin is depicted (obverse and reverse) with full attribution in the appropriate chronological position later on the page.

James

[jamesicus]

I have re-organized my former web pages relating to the coinage of Constantius and re-titled them as Early British Tetrarchic Coinage (link in my signature block below). I did this so that I could incorporate new approaches and material relating to this complex coinage (much of which has been discussed in this thread).

As can be imagined, I have changed my emphases and specializations many times during seventy years of collecting Roman Imperial coins. This is my latest adventure, and maybe my last, as I am now in my eighties. I have employed some different layout designs and methods of presentation for these latest pages - I would appreciate feedback relating not only to those features, but also to the navigation scheme and page content. I subscribe to the postulation that web pages are never really complete - they are always under construction - and so I will be incorporating frequent updates and changes (annotated on the Directory page). My primary goal in producing web pages like these has always been to highlight the historical associations of the coins and provide as many photographic images of representative specimens as possible.

James

[Flavus]

Seventy years! Wow. My respect.

[jamesicus]

Originally Posted by Flavus

Seventy years! ..........

The time has flashed by - please enjoy every precious moment of your coin collecting activities.

James

[jamesicus]

Lord Stewartby's 1998 Numismatic Chronicle article "Early Tetrarchic Coins of London from the Market Stainton Finds" contains much valuable information relating to the early British coinage. However, I find it hard to follow at times as the categorization scheme he uses is different to that used by Sutherland for RIC Volume VI, Londinium, Group I, coins:

Categorization according to Sutherland (RIC):

Group I:
(i) ...................... RIC No. 1-5
(ii), Class II(a) ... RIC No. 6-16
(ii), Class II(b) ... RIC No. 17-22
(iii), Class III ...... RIC No. 23-39
Note: Group II follows ........... RIC No. 40-100

Categorization according to Lord Stewartby:

Group I ...... RIC No. 1-5
Group II ..... RIC No. 6-22
Group IIa ... RIC No. 6-16
Group IIb ... RIC No. 17-22
Group III .... RIC No. 23-39


James

[jamesicus]

I have revised (titles, headings, text) and restructured my (now) Early British Tetrarchic Coinage Web site (link in signature block) to include much updated content - please check it out.

James

[jamesicus]

Example of "wavy line cuirass" as described by Lord Stewartby in his Numismatic Chronicle article "Early Tetrarchic Coins of London from the Market Stainton Finds" (Plate 28 - No. 28 & No. 29).

Constantius, RIC Vol. VI, Londinium, No. 22

James

[jamesicus]

I have now installed a simple Message Board on my web sites to which I post notes, comments and addenda relating to Early British Tetrarchic Coinage, Roman Coins of the London Mint and Roman Coin Lettering.

James

[jamesicus]

Recent acquisition:



RIC VI, Lugdunum, No. 14b - ae follis - Constantius "British Invasion coinage" - c 293 to 295 AD
Produced at unknown Continental Mint in preparation for invasion of Britain in 296 AD
O: Maximian Herculius laureate bare head right - IMP C MAXIMIANVS PF AVG
R: Genius with modius on head, chlamys over (l) shoulder, holding patera (rh) cornucopia (l) - GENIO POP -- VLI ROMANI (no mint mark)

James

[numismo]

I hope this information is okay to post here, as it is related to this
thread, but the coin I posted earlier in this thread (here):
http://www.ancients.info/forums/show...4528#post14528
is now on offer at VAuctions (and incredibly cheap!):
http://www.vauctions.com/auctions/AP...em.asp?id=4221

If this is not an acceptable/permitted post, then please remove it.

Walter Holt

[jamesicus]

Originally Posted by numismo

I hope this information is okay to post here, as it is related to this
thread, but the coin I posted earlier in this thread (here):
http://www.ancients.info/forums/show...4528#post14528
is now on offer at VAuctions (and incredibly cheap!):
http://www.vauctions.com/auctions/AP...em.asp?id=4221

If this is not an acceptable/permitted post, then please remove it.

Walter Holt

Well I don't whether your post is permitted here or not, Walter, but thanks for doing it -- I am now an active bidder on that coin!

James