RIC VII, NICOMEDIA 114, CONSTANTINE II, [CORRECTION]

OBVERSE	CONSTANTINVSIVNNOBC [CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C]; bust r., laur., dr., cuir.
REVERSE	PRINCIPI•IVVENTVTIS [PRINCIPI • IVVENTVTIS]; Prince in military dress, stg. r., cloak displayed, holding transverse spear in r. hand and globe in l. N in exergue.
NOT IN RIC	[CORRECTION]. RIC gives rev. legend PRINCIPI-IVVENTVTIS but coin cited in RIC (Hess 1935) has unbroken legend PRINCIPI • IVVENTVTIS, i.e. with dot, which is usually included in description (cf. NICOMEDIA 183-184, p. 632). Note also another error in RIC: Prince on reverse is described as holding spear in l. hand and globe in r. hand. Last but not least, note that specimen from Basel auction cited in RIC has 2.13 g (close to 2 scripula or half-solidus), so maybe two different fractions of this type exist.

NOTES

AV fraction. Weight 1.69 g (probably 1½ scripula or 9 siliquae); diameter 15 mm. Sold on Numismatica Ars Classica auction 25 (lot 595) in June 2003 for CHF 3,600. Other specimens: - from Numismatica Ars Classica auction 49 (lot 483), October 2008; weight 1.65 g [click for picture]; - from Hess 1935, Sammlung Franz Trau, lot 4065, p. 111 and plate 46; cited in RIC [click for picture].