Late Roman Bronze Coins
Coin talk => Unlisted => Topic started by: seth on May 12, 2014, 04:49:34 PM
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I just bought this coin:
CONSTANTINE I AE3 18mm 3.2g Follis/Nummus
AV: CONSTAN-TINVS AVG; pearl-diademed head r.
REV: D N CONSTANTINI MAX AVG; laurel wreath enclosing VOT/XX. Star in middle field.
EXE: SMHΔ, Heraclea mint
REF: RIC VII Heraclea - unlisted for bust type (E3) RIC lists for Constantine I only bust type B1 (p. 549). Note that this type probably represents transitional form and could also be described also as unusual variation of B1 [laurel leaves which resemble pearls]. Coin should be listed after RIC VII Heraclea 60 (notinric).
325-326AD.
NOT IN RIC notes a similar coin (http://notinric.lechstepniewski.info/7her-60_e3.html) but from officina B. This one from officina Δ seems to be unrecorded.
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Interesting coin. Are you sure that the officina letter is delta?
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This is what it looks like to me. You think it could actually be B with the bottom part missing? To me the upper part of the letter looks like a sharp angle which leads me to think it might be a delta.
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You think it could actually be B with the bottom part missing?
No, rather A. Because it is really the upper part and I can see the horizontal line (or it is just my imagination).
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I don't see any horizontal line, but you may still be right. After checking more deltas on Heraclea mintmarks, it appears that they are a bit wider than the As. In this case, the angle seems to be rather narrow which might point out to an A.
I will try to make better pictures when I have the coin in hand, maybe that will manage to bring more light to what officina it belongs.
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the delta letter always has the upper horizontal bar.
Also, i think that this is a nomal lauerel diadem.
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I don't think so and the reasons are the jewel in front of the diadem and the way the diadem actually has pearls instead of laurel leaves.
This is how a regular Heraclea laurel looks like.
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Also, i think that this is a nomal lauerel diadem.
Well, one could say that it was intended as a laurel wreath but an engraver had a very specific style and the wreath only looks like a pearl diadem. But there is no way to prove such opinion.
If it looks like a pearl diadem, has nice rounded "things" like a pearl diadem and a jewel in front like many pearl diadems, then it probably is a duck. Opps... then it probably is a pearl diadem. :)
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The laurel wreath usually have a tricuspiadal ending and the "jewel" could b the central point.
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The diadem on both your examples is different from that in the OP.
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what do you think about this coin?
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The last coin you posted is this one on Lech's wonderfully helpful site: http://notinric.lechstepniewski.info/7her-60.html (see at Notes : Other specimens: - specimen submitted by Nicola Tammaro; weight 3.16 g; diameter 20 mm)
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The last coin you posted is this one on Lech's wonderfully helpful site: http://notinric.lechstepniewski.info/7her-60.html (see at Notes : Other specimens: - specimen submitted by Nicola Tammaro; weight 3.16 g; diameter 20 mm)
Nicola = Nikko
Here is the original topic on the coin
http://www.lateromanbronzecoinforum.com/index.php?topic=261.0
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I didn't know that!
Well then, I don't really understand the question.
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the question is: has the last coin a pearl diadem or a laurel wreath?
At the biginning i thougt it was a pearl diadem but in the end i changed idea...
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So you doubt that your coin has an early variant of the E6 bust, just slightly tilted but nonetheless tilted. To me, Lech's hypothesis of a step by step evolution from the regular laureate head to the pearl-didemed and then pearl-diademed looking upwards makes sense.
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the question is: has the last coin a pearl diadem or a laurel wreath?
There is no non-arbitrary answer to this question.
For sure, this coin is not ordinary HERACLEA 60 and probably has "eyes to heaven".
But there is no way to establish if there is laurel wreath which resembles pearl diadem or pearl diadem which resembles laurel wreath. The engraver is dead. His intentions are unknown. Well, his answer also might be "I wasn't sure what were the instructions for this coin, so I decided to make something in between laurel wreath and pearl diadem to pleased my superiors".