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REVERSE
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GLOR-IAEXERC-ITVS [GLORIA EXERCITVS]; two soldiers, helmeted, stg. looking at one another, holding spear and resting hand on shield set on ground; between them, two standards. Three horizontally arranged dots near the top of the standards. SMHЄ in exergue.
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NOT IN RIC
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UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND. RIC lists for HERACLEA 126 (Numismad 9, lot 1484, 2.77 g, 18 mm) only long obv. legend CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG (p. 557).
Combination of bust type E8 and short obv. legend CONSTANTINVS AVG is not attested at all for Heraclea. Such combination is rather rare (e.g. THESSALONICA 154, 169), but also known for Gloria rev. (ARLES 341). Footnote 126 on p. 558 shows that Bruun was aware of this variant: "In V [Vienna] one regular off. A, another with obv. legend CONSTANTINVS AVG (E8). This coin obviously induced Voetter (NZ 1909, Atlas, Tafel 5) to regard this mark as the first of the Gloria exercitus series. The coin, however, does not illustrate any transition from the Providentiae coinage, where Constantine already earlier had been accorded the obv. legend with MAX AVG. As it is difficult to accept this coin of the Gloria 2-standard type as depicting Constantine II as Augustus, it should be classified as an inexplicable irregularity".
Existence of other specimens from officina B, Γ and Є make Voetter's hypothesis much stronger. Coin should be listed before HERACLEA 126.
See also:
HERACLEA [before 126], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND, OFFICINA A
HERACLEA [before 126], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND, OFFICINA B
HERACLEA [before 126], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND, OFFICINA Γ
HERACLEA [before 126], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND, MINTMARK VARIETY
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