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Constantine I, Siscia RIC VII-261.A
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AE3/4
Siscia mint, 337 A.D.
17mm, 1.63g
RIC VII-261
Obverse:
CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG
Rosette-diadem, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Reverse:
GLORIA EXERCITVS
A SIS*
Two soldiers standing, spear in outer hand; between them one standard.
This is an interesting coin in that there is no definite way of telling if this is CI or II. This is what RIC has to say.
"In V one coin of officina A (out of 5) and one of officina E (out of 3) are attributed to Constantine II as Augustus. It is difficult to say why, because a comparison with the coins showing the younger Constantine beyond doubt as Augustus does not reveal any marked difference. On the other hand ASIS* was continued after the death of Constantine I, and all three sons of Constantine assumed the title of Augustus in the same mark. Both Constantius and Constans appear as MAX AVG in the Siscian coinage, and accordingly there must have been specimens with MAX AVG for Constantine II also. LRBC 765, referring to CG, appears to distinguish between two different diadems, 'laurel w/ rosettes' for Constsntine I, and 'diadem with pearls' for Constantine II, although the latter, according to LRBC,has not been confirmed. Another approach to the problem would be to study the distribution of officianae. It should be noted that in the preceeding mark, ASIS, Constantine I employed off. A almost exclusively, whereas in this mark there is a preponderance of off. A coins, but also a noticeable number of coins of off. B, Γ, E. Were it not for the fact that the distribution of officinae tends to be blurred in the last Constantinian issues of Siscia, one would suggest that these coins were of Constsntine II. As a matter of fact, the diadem of off. A can more readily be described as a rosette diadem than those of the other officinae."
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