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Author Topic: Unnoticed sub-series of Constantine VOT XX from Arles?  (Read 645 times)

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Offline Frans Diederik

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Unnoticed sub-series of Constantine VOT XX from Arles?
« on: February 24, 2015, 06:54:13 pm »
I bought this lovely coin:
CONSTAN - TINVS AVG his laureate head right /
DN CONSTANTINI MAX AVG round wreath in which: VOT /dot/ XdotX  P star AR in ex. Dot in knot of wreath on top.
I am not worried about the central dot; discussion about that has been ample, so far. The dot on top of the wreath is noted in RIC as a remark that it sometimes is there. The real novelty is in the dot between the XXs. That is not a coincidental dot, but placed there with an aim.... but which?
Ferrando does illustrate (accidentally?) a specimen from this series with a (small) dot between the xxs, but he doesn't say anything about it.
Any ideas?

( Denants picture )

Offline Frans Diederik

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Re: Unnoticed sub-series of Constantine VOT XX from Arles?
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2015, 10:27:32 am »
No views?

F

Offline SC

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    • A Handbook of Late Roman Bronze Coin Types 324-395.
Re: Unnoticed sub-series of Constantine VOT XX from Arles?
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2015, 10:35:29 am »
Personally I don't think it has much meaning.  Could easily be done by an engraver for spacing or just because he thought it looked better.  The mint marks changed at Arelate at this time fairly frequently so I am not sure there would have been need for extra "secret" marks to divide up issues into smaller groupings but who knows.

Is yours a different die from Ferrando's?

Shawn
SC
(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

Offline Frans Diederik

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Re: Unnoticed sub-series of Constantine VOT XX from Arles?
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2015, 11:43:11 am »
Quote
Is yours a different die from Ferrando's?
Yes,
He differentiates between bust types and obverse breaks, which makes it rather complicated.
The laureate head right is the main bust type, the cuirassed, a rather rare one, with p*AR and S*AR. It is with hthe second officina coin (F 455) that a dot is visible between the XXs.
The same mintmark also occurs with the laureate only bust for both officinae.
There are, however some special ones: dot S*AR and CONSTAN dot - TINVS AVG obverse. So the conclusion can be that Arelate 'did' something with dots....


Frans

 

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