Constantine I ROMAE AETERNAE from Rome

[Victor]

I just won this one from the latest ROMA auction. It is special because of the cryptogram in the mintmark but it is also supposed to be from a hoard, as the collector ticket says "ex C. B. Hoard" though I don't know what hoard that is, if it is even published. Fortunately, it came from a British collectors collection, so I might be able to find some info in one of the Coin Hoards from Britain books.

Constantine I BI Nummus. Rome, AD 320. CONSTANTINVS AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust right / ROMAE AETERNAE, Roma seated right on round shield, holding another round shield inscribed X-V in two lines; RЄѠCP (ЄѠ ligate) in exergue. RIC 194 corr. (Roma seated left). 3.63g, 19mm, 6h.

[Gavin]

Beautiful. I saw that coin posted elsewhere as one that went for a strong hammer price.

Here's my beat up Romae Aeternae. Not in RIC, at least.

[Victor]

Yes, someone posted on Coin Talk about the crazy Roma prices and I replied but then deleted my post, as I don't really enjoy trying to explain things to non-specialists.

[Gavin]

Well, you are certainly entitled to your privacy. But I for one enjoy learning why a coin is deemed special by a specialist. Some lurkers might get it even if the OP doesn’t.

[Victor]

On other forums I try to limit my responses to ID questions only, though sometimes I stray. I do this to avoid getting into "debates" with people. I enjoy informed opinions but often that is lacking on the internet. On Coin Talk, I typically ignore topics that even mention Constantine.

[six2ten]

Nice coin Victor. I also have one that may come from a British hoard (South) Killingholme. Unfortunately there is not a lot of detail I can find beyond this - http://www.hookmoor.com/home/?page_id=162. Quite a lot lighter than yours at 2.70 g

[Victor]

I had a BEATA from the Killingholme hoard that I sold...kind of wish I had kept it. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of info on the hoard, I don't think it was even mentioned in the Coin Hoards from Roman Britain series-- or I missed it.

[six2ten]

It is included in Bland, Coin Hoards and Hoarding in Roman Britain AD 43-c.498, #2206, but no reference is cited so it hasn’t been published anywhere else unfortunately. It appears there is an incomplete listing somewhere, of ‘Fair’ quality (contents poorly recorded, i.e. in summary or only a portion recorded in full)

[Victor]

thanks for the Bland reference, I had it on my bookshelf; but it was one shelf higher than my other hoard books and I had forgotten I even had it.