Coins of Constantine the Great

[apgrassman]

Hi Forum

iI was lucky enough to find a coin of Constantine many years ago, on a school site in Hertfordshire UK which i still have only a common sol, mint of ticinium, but for some reason i have never collected Constantine.  Interestingly we found coins at this site for the next few months, but they were scattered around, so i assumed the soil had been imported, although there was apparently a roman station in the area.  Most were badly worn apart from the one i kept.

Having collected numerous coins of many emperors over the years at the cheaper end of the market (Victorinus, Tetricus) and Byzantine i finally feel its time to perhaps try to collect a few nice Constantine.  The problem is especially with Byzantine (Heraclius) that i open the trays and they really do not look attractive coins, although an historically interesting period.

Obviously i will find an area of interest within the period but wanted answers to the following
questions if possible.

1/I assume the coins of Constantine are relatively common and not heavily priced even in nice condition.  (sounds like a dream, nice coins at reasonable prices)
2/Are mint of London coins readily available or am i better to collect other mints.
3/Apart from the relevent RIC what other books would a beginner with these coins require and are they readily available.

Anyway hope somebody can advise.

Regards as always

apgrassman

[Jochen]

Hi!

ad 1) Yes, you are right. Nice specimens you can get for relative low prizes.
ad 2) Take a look at FORVM's catalog.

Best regards

[leetoone]

London mint coins are readily available. Many at very reasonable prices although, of course rarities can be expensive. Have a look at my website for further information and some links.

[Heliodromus]

If you're collecting Constantine, then the best beginner book is "Roman Bronze Coins: From Paganism to Christianity 294-364 A.D" by Victor Failmezger.

This book will tell you all the types available, with photos of most of them, and most importantly (I think) groups the types together by date and relates them to the history. There's really no point buying the coins unless you have a basic knowledge of the history of this period, which this book will give you.

You can buy the book from the publisher here (unfortunately FORUM doesn't carry it) :

http://www.rossperry.com/Politics/Roman-Bronze-Coins-From-Paganism-to-Christianity-294-364-AD/

It's a little expensive at $49.95, but well worth it - you'll save money in the long term by understanding the coins and knowing where you want to spend your money. Maybe you can find a used copy cheaper.

Ben

[apgrassman]

Thanks to you all for your replys.

The book sounds good, i will have to search for a secondhand copy, the book is within my budget, but the postage is a killer ($97)

Regards

apgrassman

[rasiel]

to be honest (and this is strictly my opinion) if you're JUST starting out i would pick up a copy of van meter instead which is both cheaper and much easier to use. it was the book that got me hooked. failmezger's book is much too complex and bound to scare off anyone except a died-in-the-wool lrb fan... and this is coming from someone who managed to make sense of LRBC!

as for the other questions, yes actually: nicely preserved constantinian coins from london are relatively cheap. not as cheap as the ones from the balkan mints but generally in better states of preservation.

ras

[Heliodromus]

Comparing Van Meter to Failmezger's "Roman Bronze Coins" is an apples vs oranges comparison, and which one(s) someone might find useful depends on what they are looking for.

Both books target beginners, but Van Meter covers the entire Roman Imperial period while Failmezger covers only the time of Constantine or thereabouts. Both books are of similar size, giving you an idea of the degree of depth vs breadth in what they cover. Failmezger's book is much more attractive being a hardback printed on high quality paper and with a mass of full-color photos (also available on CD for a nominal cost).

As a beginner I bought Van Meter and having skimmed it left it on the shelf unread. I just don't get why people rave over it. It seems primarily (at least in terms of bulk) to be an attribution book, whereas as a beginner I wanted to learn about the coins, not just look them up. I found Failmezger to be instantly useful in *understanding* the coins and must have consulted it many times a day for at least the first year. I still occasionally go back to the CD to find images of coins I can't find elsewhere.

It should be noted that Failmezger's "Roman Bronze Coins" is NOT an attribution book - you wont find obverse-reverse pairings in this book, or really any mention of obverses at all (a minor weakness, but not one that really detracts from the books purpose), although it does assign it's own reference numbers to reverse types which tie the history, coin listings, photos and index together. OTOH I'm not sure that Van Meter numbers are any more useful than Failmezger ones for anything other than your own private purposes.

Ben

[Robert_Brenchley]

van Meter numbers are no use at all. It is purely an attribution book, which is what I needed when I started.

[dougsmit]

(also available on CD for a nominal cost).

I still occasionally go back to the CD to find images of coins I can't find elsewhere.

The CD was supposed to be free and its inclusion with the book was done to satisfy the photographer who did not get paid for the job other than being allowed to do the CD (at the time electronic publishing was in it infancy and few people seemed to want the CD).  Actually, I guess I did get paid because I got one free book. 

It makes me feel good that there is one person who got use out of the CD.  I would absolutely love to have a CD version of the plates in the coin books I use but the demand failure of the Failmezger disk suggests I was in the minority.   I really thought the ability to see same size and enlarged images (some in two sizes and a few with inset details) would be popular but I was very wrong.  How many other coin books besides Failmezger come with the images on disk in addition to being printed on paper? 

[Vincent]

I ordered the book directly from the publisher and requested the CD from him. If I remember correctly he gave my a "fuzzy" answer of purchasing it elsewhere or the other without further information. Perhaps I should have contacted you myself. Of course, since then Mr. Failmezger has sold his collection. the photos may be available online.
Oh, one other comment, the inexpensive book, LATE ROMAN BRONZE COINAGE by John Kent & co., is a valuable reference and compliments the RIC book.

[apgrassman]

Hi Forum

Thanks for all your ongoing comments, i have ordered Failmezger and await its delivery with CD or not!?.  I have not ordered van meter, but i will look out for Late Roman Bronze Coinage especially as i already have the relevent RIC.

Regards

apgrassman

[slokind]

I use Doug's CD either independently of the text or else to help me find things in the text (if text is quite the right word; it is a system that my brain does not synch well with--I find the volumes of RIC much less difficult).  I love his photos, even if they were done with a Nikon 900-series that he doesn't use now!  With his lighting, I find them easier to read than the coins usually are.
Pat L.

[Maffeo]

I bought my copy of Failmezger about three years ago - the CD came along with the (autographed) book.

Failmezger is a great introduction to LRBs. But once you get past the introductory stage you do really need RIC and some of the specialized literature on individual mints.

[agord]

The Failmezger collection is online here
http://www.ancientimports.com/cgi-bin/category.pl?id=536