Constantine II Arelate rarity?

[Diederik]

Just now I won this little nicety:
CONSTANTINVS IVN.N.C laureate cuirassed bust right;
GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS 2 soldiers with two standards etc.
PCONST in ex, wreath with dot between soldiers' heads, dot in center.
According to Dane's list this particular coin could be a variant on 376, because it has this dot in the center.
I would like to hear your comments.


Frans

[leetoone]

I have examples of RIC 387 and 389 both with a similar pellet in the centre beneath the pine-tree type mintmark.

[Heliodromus]

It seems the dot in wreath is part of the control mark, but the dot in the center is just for layout purposes and isn't considered as part of the attribution (except in the case of a couple of Antioch & Rome campgates where it does appear to be a control mark).

It's very common to see this layout centering dot on the reverse of Constantine era bronzes as long as the center isn't occupied by part of the design (in which case it may have been there initially, before disappearing when the center part of the die was engraved).

Ben

[Diederik]

I completely agree with you, but as the type with the central pellet is highlighted so to say in Dane's list, I thought it wise to ask for your opinions.
I think it is good to close the subject on centering dots 'meaningful/meaningless'  by stating that in 99% of the cases it should be disregarded.
Thanks for your input!


Frans