Another example from
Constantinople, likely
CONS , is shown on
wildwinds:
http://wildwinds.com/coins/ric/constantius_gallus/_constantinople_RIC_VIII_093v.jpgIn my research on the FTR
types I could not find any image of the
Sirmium example quoted in
RIC. The fact that it is reportedly the
rocks version, and not the globe version, is of course not surprising as
Sirmium, along with
Siscia, appear to have only struck that version.
The questions regarding dating are not just raised by the existence of the example from
Sirmium, but by the very existence of this
type for Gallus.
This
type appears to cease at all other mints prior to Gallus' accession on 15 March 351. Its appearance for him at a small number of mints would appear to imply one of two things. Either that the
type was in the process of being phased out right around
his accession and was thus just struck at a few mints and only in small numbers OR that it ceased to be struck at all mints before March 351 but then was struck at a few mints and in small numbers after a gap of several months.
The former case requires either that we move the re-opening of the
mint of
Sirmium forward by almost half a year (roughly August to March 351) or that we dismiss the existence of the example from
Sirmium. The latter case requires that we accept that this
denomination was re-struck at a few mints sometime around late 351 after not being struck for at least half a year, maybe a full year.
I believe the latter is the case.
If we look at this
denomination, which was the smallest of the three FTR
denominations introduced in April 348, we see that it has an odd
history. The two FTR
types - Galley and
Phoenix - were common for the first year or so. From the
mint marks, the Galley
type appears to cease before the end of 349. The
Phoenix appears to continue into 350 at most mints, but to have ceased before March 351. We then have the
rare Gallus
Phoenix examples from likely 351.
But there were other
types struck in this
denomination.
Vetranio introduced a
VIRTVS AVGVSTORVM for himself and
Constantius II at
Siscia. As this
type likely did not outlast
Vetranio it was struck sometime in 350.
Vetranio also struck a
VIRTVS EXERCITVM type for himself at
Thessalonica - likewise struck in 350. Finally
Vetranio introduced a
GLORIA ROMANORVM type for himself and
Constantius II at
Siscia in 350. However, unlike
Vetranio's other two
types, this
type outlasted him as it was later struck for Gallus and then for Julian (as
caesar). We can't tell if it was struck for
Constantius II only once or during each of these three periods as the mints marks are the same. In any event the
type is
scarce enough - especially for Julian - that we can assume it was not struck throughout the entire period - i.e. from 350 under
Vetranio until after Julian's accession as
caesar in November 355. In fact, due to the decrease in the size of the main FTR
denomination, this
type was not actually the small
denomination when it was struck for Julian, it was the only
denomination. I also think we can be certain that the
type was struck for Gallus before the first reduction of the main FTR
denomination in November 352.
Looking at this overall, it appears that the small
denomination was struck fairly regularly 348 to 350, and then intermittently 350 to 351 or 352. So while unexplained, the appearance of the
Phoenix type for Gallus at a few mints is not inconsistent with the overall pattern of coinage at this time.
Shawn