Constantine I PLVR NATAL FEL from Trier

[Victor]

Here's one I forgot to post--

celebrating Constantine’s first dies imperii-- the one year anniversary of his succession/usurpation

Constantine I
A.D. 307
¼ follis 15mm 1.2g
FL VAL CONSTANTINVS NOB C; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
PLVR / NATAL / FEL in three lines within laurel wreath.
RIC VI Trier 746; Zschucke 6.14

[Adriaan78]

Great coin... his ugly brother is in my collection...

[Nikko]

..and this one will be in my hands in the coming days. Ex Ramskold, like the Victor’s one.
So, we actually have 3 coins here, a fourth one ex Alten collection (now in Heliodromus collection) and two more coins reported in Zschucke‘s catalogue. So we have at least 6 specimen known.

[Victor]

I don't know if any of these are duplicated; but RIC VI cites three-- one in the Trier collection, second in Strauss "Les monnaies divisionnaires de Trêves après la réforme de Dioclétien" Revue Numismatique 1954 pg 56 no.43, and third in Munzen und Medaillen xiii #487.

[Heliodromus]

These are the ones that I've got photos of.

 

There's also Strauss 43a (Frankfurt) and 43b (Trier), presumably distinct from any of the above assuming they were not sold.

Strauss also illustrates the same type in silver from the BNF.

There's also the MVLT NATAL FEL variant, with Strauss 46 and Zschucke 6.16 referring to the same specimen sold in Helbing 80.1216 (1940), as below.

 

Strauss (from Rev. Num. 16, 1954) is available for download here:

http://bibnum.enc.sorbonne.fr/numismatique/numi_0484-8942_1954_num_5_16

The link doesn't seem to be working right now, but I was able to download it yesterday, so try later if needed.

[Lech Stępniewski]

Ben, have you ever seen RIC 745 / Strauss 45? / Zschucke 6.13 (but nowhere illustrated)?

[Heliodromus]

No, and it seems a bit doubtful whether it really exists.

Zschucke also includes it (6.13) but without photo or reference.

Strauss' two references are Cohen (Tanini) and Voetter-Gerrin. VG doesn't illustrate it, nor was the coin marked as being in Gerin's collection.

I just tried chasing down the Tanini reference ... Tanini wrote a supplement to Banduri's "Numismatica Imeratorum Romanorum", and does include this type (NOB CAES), but not the common NOB C. Unless I'm missing something, Banduri himself didn't even include coins of Constantine (no entry for him in the index, and no entry for "PLVR NATAL FEL" in the list of types.

So, it seems as if maybe Tanini was reporting the PLVR NATAL FEL type itself for the first time, and ONLY listed the "NOB CAES" legend. I suspect this was an error, and he had really only seem the common "NOB C" - likely the only legend to exist!

Of course it wouldn't be very surprising to see a legend variant, but the evidence of it actually existing seems weak!

[Lech Stępniewski]

Unless I'm missing something, Banduri himself didn't even include coins of Constantine (no entry for him in the index, and no entry for "PLVR NATAL FEL" in the list of types.

Well, I have Banduri (1718 edition) from Google books (not a great scan) and in volume II Constantine's coins are listed from page 237 to page 301.

PLVR NATAL FEL is listed on p. 277. "Caput Constantini laureatum, ad pectus cum paludamento"; FL VAL CONSTANTIVS NOB C

Tanini probably have not seen such coin and made a mistake in his notes.

[Heliodromus]

Well, I have Banduri (1718 edition) from Google books (not a great scan) and in volume II Constantine's coins are listed from page 237 to page 301.

OK - I found an online copy, but wasn't paying attention to volume - must have been volume I.

Since Banduri did include the type, with the "NOB C" legend, then it seems more likely Tanini really did see a different "NOB CAES" legend to justify adding it to his supplement.

[Lech Stępniewski]

I don't think that Tanini saw this coin. He marks many entries HT (Hieronym Tanini) which probably indicates coins which he saw (had in his possession?).

But PLVR NATAL FEL is marked M. D. Etrur (page 277, 1791 edition). Which means that it was cited after "Regius Magni Ducis Etruriae Thesaurus celeberrimus a Mediceis Heroibus collectus". It probably refers to the book of Antonio Francesco Gori https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Francesco_Gori "Antiqua numismata aurea et argentea praestantiora et aerea maximi moduli"

And few entries below he lists as another coin of Constantinus Magnus (again after M. D. Etrur) VBERTAS SAECVLI with the same obv. legend FL VAL CONSTANTINVS NOB CAES!

So it should be remembered that Tatnini is also a compiler; he reads books (with a few drawings, at best), probably receives letters from his fellow numismatists, makes notes and has many occasions to make a mistake.

[Heliodromus]

So it should be remembered that Tanini is also a compiler

OK, so as we say in the software world "garbage in, garbage out" ! I wonder what that VBERTAS entry was based on ?!

Voetter-Gerin (Strauss' other reference) is equally untrustworthy. On one type he has Licinius on a pre-Carnuntum issue.

I wonder how many types there are in RIC based only on VG, or similar sources, that have never been verified !

[Lech Stępniewski]

I wonder how many types there are in RIC based only on VG, or similar sources, that have never been verified !

A lot! And that's a real problem. It is sometimes possible to correct Sutherland when he gives particular auction and number of lot (if there is an illustrated catalogue, of course). But how can one prove the non-existence of coin cited after Voetter? Or this one cited by Strauss after Tanini (which Tanini probably cited after Gori)? It still may exist.

Well, even Sutherland in quite many cases gives footnote: "Confirmation needed". But the number of these footnotes should be at least doubled, tripled or maybe multiplied by 10.

[Lech Stępniewski]

Correction. Tanini probably did not refer to Gori's "Antiqua numismata" (I quickly browsed through these three volumes) but to collection which Gori partially described in his book.

[Lech Stępniewski]

This coin (if exists) could be probably in national Archaeological Museum of Florence (MAF).

"In 1895 the entire Uffizi Grand-ducal medal collection was transferred to rooms in the new national Archaeological Museum of Florence (MAF) -  Polo Museale della toscana. [...] Since 2007, work has been taking place on the reorganization, inventorying and publication of the numismatic material in the MAF coin cabinet. It comprises coins of the Greek world (more than 6,000), Roman Republican coinage (about 4,000, up to Augustus), Roman Imperial (more than 20,000 items, from Augustus to Romulus Augustulus) and Roman Byzantine (about 800 pieces)".

Coins are successively published. The last volume of which I am aware of is "Sylloge Nummorum Romanorum - Italia - Firenze XIII, Diocletianus - Licinius II".

Constantine is not present, so maybe in XIV volume the enigma of this little coin will be solved.