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Rome, 26.1.2025
Dear,
here are the significant elements concerning the
figure coin:
Centenionalis1,
Antioch, 350 ÷ 355 A.D., RIC
VIII 132 (pag. 523)2, frequency index
"c4"
Summary description (parts of the legend that are worn
or otherwise no longer legible are indicated in red):
D. D N CONSTAN - TIVS
P F AVG3. Constantius
II, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
R. FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO4.
helmeted soldier standing to left, holding round
shield and spearing fallen horseman to lower left;
Mint mark, Γ/ANAI5.
A web search for coins of the figure type produced
the following results:
- https://davcoin.com/lot/e-auction-16-lot-45
E-Auction 16 Lot 45 Constantius II. A.D. 337-361.
Ć centenionalis. 4.61gm. 22mm. Antioch mint, 11th
officina. His pearl-diademed, draped, and
cuirassed bust right; D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG /
Soldier standing left, spearing fallen horseman;
FEL TEMP REPARATIO around, Γ to left, ANAI in
exergue. RIC VIII 132. Good Very Fine; even brown
patina. Estimate: $100. Current High Bidder: 32092
Hammer Price: $100.
- https://www.ma-shops.com/vossen/item.php?id=8436
Constantius II. 337-361 AD. AE Centenionalis
(4.82g, 23mm). Antioch mint. Struck 350-5 AD.
Obv.: D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed,
draped and cuirassed bust to right. Rev.: FEL TEMP
REPARATIO, helmeted soldier standing to left,
holding round shield and spearing fallen horseman
to lower left; Γ in left field, ANAI in exergue.
RIC 132; LRBC 2625. aEF. Prezzo 50,00 EUR.
- https://www.biddr.com/auctions/numisart/browse?a=5164&l=6314429
Auction 7 Lotto 293 Constantius II, Augustus (AD
337–361). Maiorina (AE, 23mm, 5.41g), Antioch
mint, 350–355. D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG
Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of
Constantius II right / FEL TEMP REPARATIO Helmeted
and cuirassed Roman soldier left, shield on left
arm, spearing fallen Barbarian horseman with long
beard and trousers; Γ in left field; ANAI in
exergue. RIC 135. Excellent portrait. Fascinating
details. Dark patina with minor deposits.
Extremely fine.
- https://www.numisbids.com/sale/6924/lot/50
Numisbalt Auction 28 30 Jun - 2 Jul 2023 Lot
50 Starting price: 5 EUR. Price realized: 14 EUR.
Roman Empire. Constantius II (337-361). Follis,
Antioch. FEL TEMP REPARATIO. Bronze 5.92g. RIC-132
var. VF+.
I conclude by noting that, as far as a remote
assessment allows, the coin shown here presents
general characteristics and style not dissimilar to
those of the authentic dies found on the web. In the
absence of the physical characteristics, it will not
be possible to carry out a comparative examination
with authentic coins of the period. In its present
state of preservation, if authentic, it could, in my
opinion, be worth c. 100€.
Best regards.
Giulio De Florio
-------------------------------
Note:
(1)
Centenionalis (AE).
The bronze centenionalis coins (plural:
centenionales) were the attempts of Constans and
Constantius II to reintroduce a large bronze coin
between 320 and 340 AD, as the follis had by then
shrunk dramatically. The type of coin it was is
uncertain, but numismatists have categorized large
bronze coins of the above date under this
denomination. I collect in a table the physical
characteristics of centenionalis of the figure
type
found on the web:
| Reference |
Weight(g) |
Die axis (H) |
Diameter(mm) |
| Link1 |
4,61 |
- |
22 |
| Link2 |
4,82 |
- |
23 |
| Link3 |
5,41 |
- |
23 |
| Link4 |
5,92 |
- |
- |
In the absence of the physical characteristics of
the sample mentioned above, it will not be possible
to carry out a comparative examination with
authentic coins of the period.
(2) The coin type above was
struck in Antioch both in the name of Constantine
the Great's son Constantius II and in the name of
Constantius Gallus, grandson of Constantius I and
cousin of Constantine's sons. That means that
typologically similar coins were struck with the
following obverse legends:
(3) D N CONSTAN - TIVS P F AVG
(Dominvs Noster CONSTANTIVS Pius Felix AVGustus).
Constantius, son (Sirmio 317 - Tarsus 361) of
Constantine: he was appointed Caesar in 323 or 324,
in 337 emperor together with his brothers
Constantine II and Constans with command over the
eastern provinces. He fought with little success the
Persians, led by Shāhpūr II, by whom he was defeated
at Singara in 348. After Constans' assassination
(350; Constantine II had already been killed in
340), he rushed to the West where Magnentius had
usurped power, while Vetranion had been proclaimed
emperor in Pannonia, and in Rome Nepotian had
assumed imperial power. Vetranion soon deposed power
and Nepozian was killed; Constantius defeated
Magnentius at Mursa (Pannonia) and in the Cottian
Alps Passage, forcing him to commit suicide (Lyons,
353). In 354 he had his cousin Gallus, who had
appointed Caesar in 351, executed; in 355 he
appointed his cousin Julian as Caesar; he defeated
the Sarmatians and Quadians in Pannonia, and went to
the East where the Persians had reopened
hostilities. But he was diverted from this by the
revolt of Julian, proclaimed Augustus by the
soldiers. He died while marching against him. With
rigid intransigence Constantius fought paganism by
prohibiting sacrifices and even the veneration of
images with very strict legislation. With equal
intolerance he intervened in the Arian controversy
by supporting the Arians and fighting Athanasius
bishop of Alexandria and the papacy as a supporter
of Athanasius: on his own initiative he convened two
synods in Arles (353) and Milan (355), causing the
exile of Pope Liberius and many bishops, while
Athanasius escaped. On his deathbed he was baptised
by an Arian bishop.
(4) FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO.
While the meaning of the legend alluding to the
‘return of the happy times’ (perhaps those when Rome
still managed to maintain internal order and protect
the population from invasions) is transparent, the
expansion of the legend ‘FEL TEMP REPARATIO’ is not
entirely certain, as it could be FELix TEMPorvm
REPARATIO or FELicium TEMPorum REPARATIO or FELicis
TEMPoris REPARATIO.
On the FEL TEMP REPARATIO (FTR for short) has
written an interesting article Dough Smith (see
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/ftr.html) from which I
will draw for the brief summary that follows. The
monetary reform of 348 by Constans and Constantius
II brought three silvered bronze denominations into
circulation, in the following types, all featuring
the reverse legend FTR:
"
| Denominations |
Types |
| major (biglion - 3% silver)
- large AE2 |
"fallen horseman" (favourite
reverse theme of Constantius II) |
| "Galea piloted by Victory"
(Constans favourite reverse theme
because it probably recalled Constans'
landing in Britain in 342) |
intermediate - small AE2 -
busts left
|
"Barbarian brought out of
the hut" (Constans preferred reverse
theme perhaps to enhance the theme of
recolonisation of conquered
territories)
|
| "Sovereign with two
prisoners" (favourite reverse theme of
Constantius II) |
| minor - AE3 |
"Phoenix" |
With Constant's death, the ‘Fallen horseman’
remained the only FTR in circulation. During its 13
years of life, the ‘The fallen Horseman’ underwent
many changes in weight and size. The earliest coins
were what collectors refer to as AE2 coins, as they
measured 21÷23 mm in diameter; the latest issues
went down to 16 mm, not even qualifying as AE3.
These later coins are often called AE3/AE4 to
indicate that they lie in the borderline band
between AE3 and AE4. The weight also gradually
decreased, as did the already low silver content.
The ‘fallen horseman’ was coined in roughly four
variants. All had in common the presence of a knight
fatally wounded by a lance. The first shows the
knight kneeling on the ground in front of the horse.
The second shows him sitting on the ground in front
of the horse. The third, which is the one pertinent
to the figure coin, sees him still arching but with
his arm and head stretched backwards towards the
attacker. The last one sees him crashing to the
ground hugging the horse's neck. As Dough Smith
rightly observes, the ‘fallen horseman’ is a typical
collector's coin because it meets three criteria:
- Economy, in that no ‘fallen horseman’ coin is
terribly expensive; ranging from specimens in
the worst state of preservation costing less
than a dollar to truly perfect ones costing
$100.
- Variety, because within each of the four types
illustrated above, numerous variations can be
observed to satisfy the fussiness of specialised
collectors.
- Expandability, because starting with the
‘fallen horseman’ one can expand to all the
themes of the FEL TEMP REPARATIO and then to all
the Constantinian era coins.
(5) Γ/ANAI is the mint mark. It
is composed of three parts, the letter Γ, hallmark
of the issue, the letters AN, short for ANtioch and
the number AI (=11), the coin workshop (eleventh of
15 at the time active in the mint). |
