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Constantine, London, Genius


maridvnvm

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I have just received this and thought it worthy of sharing.

Constantine the Great - AE3

Obv:– CONSTANTINVS P AG, Laureate, cuirassed bust right
Rev:– GENIO-POP ROM, Genius standing left, modius on head, loins draped, holding patera and cornucopiae
Minted in London S | F / MLN. c. Late A.D. 314
Reference(s) – RIC VII London 40 (R5). LMCC 8.05.006 (RR) citing BM. 1927, 0616.156. ex. Llangharren.

Same die pair as BM Example.

3.23 gms, 21.28 mm. 180 degrees

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BM example for comparison.

mid_00663960_001.jpg

 

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nice, I need a London 40. I have several others though.

 

London_89b.jpg.d55be871148cbc5e9f7f5f0c0b06f99d.jpg

 

Constantine I
A.D. 307
29mm     9.3g
FL VAL CONSTANTINVS NOB C; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
GENIO POP ROM; Genius standing left, tower on head, loins draped, r. holding patera, l. cornucopiae.
In ex. PLN
RIC VI London 89b; LMCC 5.01.009

 

 

London_103.jpg.1ae811c2e3b8b0a2c54a7f47ffb768bd.jpg

 

Constantine I
A.D. 307- 310
25x27mm     6.2g
IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; laureate and cuirassed bust right.
GENIO POP ROM; Genius standing left, tower on head, loins draped, r. holding patera, l. cornucopiae.
In ex. PLN
RIC VI London 103 corr.; LMCC 5.04.003

 

 

 

I have RIC 50 with a fat Genio

 

London_50.jpg.efe073658777f183c50a169ae716c382.jpg

 

Constantine I
A.D. 314
29mm     9.3g
IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG; laureate and cuirassed bust right.
GENIO POP ROM; Genius standing left, tower on head, loins draped, r. holding patera, l. cornucopiae; S-P across fields.
In ex. MLN
RIC VII London 50; LMCC 8.06.001

 

 

and this one not in RIC

 

LMCC_8_07_001.jpg.4ff76b11e988c3ed2bcbf48ee0f1fd2f.jpg

 

Constantine I
A.D. 314- 315
21mm    3,7g
IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG; laureate and cuirassed bust right.
GENIO POP ROM; Genius standing left, tower on head, loins draped, r. holding patera, l. cornucopiae; across fields S-P
In ex. MSL
RIC VII London--; LMCC 8.07.001; RML 693 (forthcoming)

 

 

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Fine coin!

I have the same reverse type minted for Licinius in London under Constantine, back when the two were still buddies:

RomLiciniusAE2LondonGenius.jpg.5aff950ec9cf8ea7f1ac6ece58229373.jpg

Licinius I, Roman Empire, AE2, 313–314 AD, London mint. Obv: IMP LICINIVS PF AVG; bust of Licinius I, laureate, cuirassed, r. Rev: GENIO POP ROM; Genius standing l., holding patera in r. hand, cornucopia in l.; in fields, S-F; in exergue, PLN. 21mm, 3.04g. Ref: RIC VII Londinium 3.

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Martin, Nice score 🤩. Needless to say, your AE3 is far superior to the BM coin 😏. My only example of a London mint coin of Constantine I, is pictured below ☺️.

ConstantineInummusExItaloVecchicol..jpg.3d6164f86f9b2cafaee39cda5fa8730c.jpg

Constantine I, AD 307-310. London Mint. Billon Nummus: 6.57 gm, 28 mm, 8 h, struck on a broad flan. Obverse: Laureate, & cuirassed bust of Constantine, IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG. Reverse: Standing Genius with patera & cornucopia, GENIO POP ROM PLN. C & T 5.04.003; RIC 103. Ex Italo Vecchi Collection.

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Here's a couple of rarer ones:

This is the unlisted Constantine counterpart to RIC 117a/b for Daia and Licinius (rare for them too, since they're barely included in this issue).

image.png.53ee8d4ce5494b467bb268e98c16863b.png

And here's RIC 130 for Daia in the following interesting */T-*/F issue:

image.png.4c928940f1ed54281d99818e8859577a.png

 

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Great coins. I lived in London for 12 years, so Londinium is kind of close to my heart 🙂

I have the Genio type only for Licinius I. Below are a few of my Constantinian coins of Londinium.

 

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I have a few more varieties from the mint too.

Constantine the Great - Follis
Obv:– IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG, Laureate, cuirassed bust right
Rev:– SOLI INVICTO COMITI, Sol standing left holding globe in left and raising right
Minted in London (T | F / PLN) A.D. Autumn A.D. 310
Reference(s) – RIC VI London 121a

RI_160ex_img.jpg

Constantine the Great - Follis

Obv:– IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev:– SOLI INVICTO COMITI, Sol standing left holding globe in left and raising right
Minted in London (T | F / PLN) A.D. Autumn A.D. 310
Reference(s) – RIC VI London 122 var. LMCC 6.02.011 var

4.47g. 23.55 mm. 180 degrees

Sol is usually depicted as holding the globe sitting in a flat palm and in this pose the chlamys draped to the left of the globe, Here the globe is bein held with the palm wrapped around the outside of the globe with the globve towards the body. The chlamys in this case drapes to the right. The RIC plate coin (Plate 1) of this type can be seen to be the normal depiction. I am not claiming this ti be a different type but an variation applied by the engraver but it certainly stands out as being different alongside it's peers.

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Constantine the Great - Follis
Obv:– CONSTANTINVS P AVG, Laureate cuirassed bust right
Rev:– COMITI AVGG NN, Sol radiate standing left, holding globe and whip
Minted in London (_ | * //PLN) A.D. 310-312
Reference(s) – RIC VI London 169 (S citing Oxford). LMCC 7.03.027 (Rated S)

RI_160fm_img.jpg

Licinius I - Follis
Obv:– IMP LICINIVS P F AVG, Laureate, cuirassed bust right
Rev:– GENIO POP ROM, Genius standing left, modius on head, naked but for chlamys round waist, left hand holding cornucopiae and right hand holding patera
Minted in London (S | F / MSL). A.D. 315
Reference(s) – RIC VII London 31 (R1). LMCC 8.04.004 (Rated C). The most common variety from this issue.

RI_155aq_img.jpg

Constantine the Great - Follis
Obv:– CONSTANTINVS P F AVG, Laureate, cuirassed bust right
Rev:– MARTI CONSERVATORI, Mars helmeted, in military dress, spread cloak, standing, right, holding reversed spear, left hand leaning on shield
Minted in London (*|_// PLN).
Reference:– RIC VI London 254. LMCC 7.10.003 (Rated C)

4.28g. 24.66 mm. 180 degrees

RI_160hg_img.JPG

Constantine the Great - Follis
Obv:– IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev:– MARTI CO-NSERVATORI. Mars helmeted, in military dress, cloak hanging over right shoulder, standing, right, holding reversed spear, left hand leaning on shield
Minted in London (* | _ // PLN). Late A.D. 313- May A.D. 314 (LMCC DATING)
Reference:– RIC VI London 251 (Rated S with CON-S, noted rarely occurring with CO-NS. This seems to be supported by a spot check of other coins of this issue) . LMCC 8.01.003 (Rated S)

RI_160fv_img.jpg

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1 hour ago, maridvnvm said:

Sol is usually depicted as holding the globe sitting in a flat palm and in this pose the chlamys draped to the left of the globe, Here the globe is bein held with the palm wrapped around the outside of the globe with the globve towards the body

This seems to be an early variant. I've seen 4 others - 2 BM, 1 ANS and 1 CNG 204.264 (ex. Vogelaar). So, 5 total including yours, and of these 4/5 have this older LDC bust, and the ANS specimen has an LC bust, but an older bust style all the same.

Sol's got some globe handling skills there. Maybe should join the NBA.

image.png.74cd365295b8de801544c56fb46f05f5.png

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My only Constantine I from the London Mint, found in a hoard in France, also has Sol on the reverse, holding the globe in the more common fashion:

Constantine I, AE Follis or Nummus, 1/72 to the pound, mid-310 to late 311 AD, Londinium Mint. Obv. Laurate and cuirassed bust right, IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG / Rev. Radiate Sol standing facing, head left, with weight on right foot, left shoulder draped in chlamys, right hand raised, and banded globe (representing cosmos) held in left palm, SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI around, T - F across fields, PLN [mint mark for Londinium Mint]* in exergue. 24 mm., 4.90 g., 6 h. RIC VI Londinium 121a (Group III, p. 133), Sear RCV IV 16046 (p. 462) (dating the type to AD 310). Purchased from London Ancient Coins, 2 Jan. 2023, ex CGB.fr; ex Chitry Hoard (discovered 2007), Coin no. 46.**

 image.jpeg.e08651479f4a1e54fda780ecd212f792.jpeg

*I have seen the “P” in PLN variously interpreted as meaning “Prima” (which would presumably signify the first officina, although I do not believe that the Londinium mint ever issued any coins marked to indicate any other numbered officinae), “Pecunia” (for money), or “Percussa” (meaning “struck in” Londinium). I doubt that there is any definitive answer. As for the “T – F” across the fields, which is found on coins from other mints in addition to Londinium, Reid Goldsborough suggested that “[t]he T/F on either side of Sol likely means ‘TEMPORVM FELICITAS’ or ‘The happiness of the age.’" See http://rg.ancients.info/constantine/Sol_other.html.

**See Vincent Drost, “Le trésor constantinien de Chitry (Yonne) (terminus 323/324 après J.-C.),” Étude et Catalogue, in Michel Amandry, ed., Trésors monétaires XXV (Éditions de la Bibliothèque nationale de France, Monnaies, Médailles et Antiques, 2013) (available at  https://books.openedition.org/editionsbnf/547). As summarized in the English version of the Abstract of the portion of the book (pp. 177-243) dealing with the Chitry Hoard (see https://books.openedition.org/editionsbnf/678?lang=en ) :

“The Chitry Hoard (Yonne) [a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France] was discovered in 2007. It is made up of about 2,500 coins of the late Third and the early Fourth Century. Except for a single coin struck at the London mint in 323/4 which determines its terminal date, the Chitry Hoard belongs to a group of treasures coming up against the monetary reform of 318. This short-term accumulation has been carried out between 310 and 318. The nummi struck at 1/72 to the pound represents one quarter of the hoard whereas the ones struck at 1/96 to the pound supplies with the three quarters. The Chitry Hoard is the first treasure of that kind from Central Gaul to be thoroughly published. It provides essential data regarding the monetary circulation in this area during the 310's. It also brings previously unpublished types and contributes to a better understanding of some aspects of the Constantinian coinage struck in Gaul and Britain.”

The circumstances of the discovery, discussed at the beginning of the Preface to the Chitry Hoard section, are also of interest. Supposedly, on 7 Sep. 2007, an individual residing in a house built in 1792 found the coins, together with some 18th century tiles, in a niche he discovered behind a stone in a wall of the cellar beneath his house. This implied a prior 18th century discovery and re-deposit of the hoard. Under French law, this enabled the sale of the hoard to CGB, which deposited it with the Bibliothèque nationale for study before it was sold. M. Drost states that these claimed circumstances are “unusual but not unthinkable,” expressing skepticism for various reasons.

In any event, according to the catalogue of the Chitry Hoard (see https://books.openedition.org/editionsbnf/1115), 470 of the 2,492 coins in the hoard were minted in Londinium. 197 of those 470 were Nummi at 1/72 to the pound. Out of those 197, there were 68 coins in the hoard (Nos. 38-103, including my specimen) of the RIC VI Londinium 121a type, with SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI and T/F//PLN on the reverse. The BNF has dated these coins to the period from mid-310 to late 311 AD, and I have adopted those dates in my description above, rather than Sear’s AD 310 date.

 

Edited by DonnaML
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