7-3439

RIC VII, THESSALONICA [before 131], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND AND BUST TYPE [FORGERY]

   

OBVERSE

CONSTANTI-NVSMAXAVG [CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG]; bust r., rosette-diadem, dr., cuir.

REVERSE

CONSTA-NTINVSAVG [CONSTANTINVS AVG]; Victory std. l. on throne, holding Victory and cornucopiae; behind, shield. SMTSЄ in exergue.

NOT IN RIC

UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND AND BUST TYPE [FORGERY]. Obverse similar to CONSTANTINOPLE 90 (BM R.162, 4.46 g; probably the same die) and reverse similar to THESSALONICA 131 (Tkalec, auction October 2003, lot 415, 4.56 g, 19 mm; probably the same die).

This coin is formally unlisted in RIC, but note that it is in fact a modern forgery. Note that CONSTANTINOPLE 90 was minted c. 335 and THESSALONICA 131 was minted c. 324., so - apart from other matters - it is quite impossible that these two dies from different mints and times met on official coin.

NOTES

Solidus. Weight 4.42 g. Coin sold on Emporium Hamburg auction 98 (lot 829) in May 2022 for EUR 10,500.


NOT IN RIC © 2004 Lech Stępniewski