Constantine I GLOR EXER CIT from Trier

[Victor]

This one is has a nicely engraved obverse, but the reverse was not so skillfully done and they abbreviated the reverse legend.


Constantine I
Circa A.D. 330- 335
15mm   1.6gm
CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust.
GLOR EXER CIT, Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards.
In exergue TRP
cf. RIC VII Trier 518

[Genio popvli romani]

I love...
I'm still amazed, firstly, by the care and quality provided ​​in the manufacture of these imitations and in the other hand, by the recurring errors in legends or mintmarks.
I have already given my opinion about the subject, but I add that if there were no such "inattentions", a lot of imitations would be fully undetectable. So the question is: what about the fully well imitated coins?

[Victor]

So the question is: what about the fully well imitated coins?

I expect that there were a lot of unoffical coins minted that could quite easily fool people. Bastien theorized that some off-duty mint workers were making coins and this seems very plausible. If so, a few of these men would surely have been skilled enough (and took enough pride in their work) to make some very good coins-- of course, if we had some of these "perfect" copies, we would never know!

[dougsmit]

The really bad thing here is that the type has two standards but the weight is a one standard model.  There are a lot of Trier imitations and one has to wonder where to draw the line between what we accept as 'official' and what is not.  I'll offer what I consider to be nicely engraved dies of a Trier Urbs Roma but there is just one little problem that makes it barbarous. 

[Victor]

but there is just one little problem that makes it barbarous.

Roma and the wolf are facing the wrong way...plus the wolf looks a bit like a hyena 

[Genio popvli romani]

But, "your" counterfeiter remembered that he had to engrave a retrograd legend on his die. "Mine", did not.


He just reproduced what was under his eyes. So, we can guess that the reverse die has been engraved by a more skilled worker.
But for our pleasure, they made a very interesting mule.