7-011

RIC VII, ROME [after 17], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED ISSUE [LIBERATOR ORBIS], OFFICINA T

  

OBVERSE

IMPCONSTANTINVSPFAVG [IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG]; bust r., laur., dr., cuir.

REVERSE

LI-BER-A-TORORBIS [LIBERATOR ORBIS]; Emperor galloping r. over lion, r. rised, shield on l. arm. R*T in exergue.

NOT IN RIC

UNLISTED ISSUE. Minted probably in year 315 when Constantine arrived to Rome to celebrate his decennalia. At the same time the great triumphal arch was finished, dedicated to Constantine as LIBERATORI VRBIS. Omitted in RIC VI and VII but was previously well known to many scholars.

Cohen lists this type for Constantine (Cohen, vol. VII, p. 265, no. 317) and also for Licinius (Ibid., p. 201-202, no. 132-133): with R*S or R•S (Rome) and ALE (Alexandria) in exergue.

DRC mentions this issue in the paper "LIBERATOR ORBIS": "-The Liberator of the World.-This new title, and sufficiently assumptive, appears on a third brass of Constantine the Great, the type which it accompanies being that of the Emperor on horseback with his right hand raised, and a lion crouching under his horse's feet. -Eckhel refers it to the successes of Constantine over either his rivals or the barbarians whose incursions were pernicious to the whole Roman world, and who therefore on this medal are shadowed forth under the image of a lion trampled upon by a horseman" (p. 517).

Maurice lists all four officinae for Constantine I and officina S (bust type B4) for Licinius I. See: J. Maurice, Numismatique constantinienne, vol. I, Paris 1908, p. 215; one example on plate XVIII, no. 4.

Voetter lists only officina S for Licinius I (Voetter, p. 229, no. 30) but gives laureate head r. as bust type!

Kent follows Cohen in listing LIBERATOR ORBIS type for both Augusti, Constantine and Licinius, but he identifies it as minted exclusively at Rome in 312-313 (see Kent, p. 50, no. 454-455).

Type is listed also in RBC (only for Constantine I, no. 234CI, p. 31 and plate 14) and in: Meixner, I., "Neki kovovi iz nalaza kod Stoca koje ne poznaje najnovija radnja Sutherlanda »Roman Imperial Coinage«, VI sv. 1967. godine" [Some coins from Stoca hoard which are unlisted in the latest Sutherland's work "Roman Imperial Coinage" vol. VI, 1967], Numizmatičke vijesti, vol. XVI/27, 1969, p. 16-18 and plate V (only for Licinius).

Finally, Doyen has attested four officinae for Constantine I (bust B4) and three officinae for Licinius I (S, T, Q; bust type B5) (see: Jean-Marc Doyen, "Une émission constantinienne méconnue (Rome, 313) et la date de la 3ème réduction pondérale du follis", Bulletin du Cercle d'Études Numismatiques 1990, no. 1, pp. 1-9).

Note that there are two minor variants of reverse: with or without shield on left arm. Emperor is probably always laureate (Cohen gives "Licinius casqué" for no. 132). He has right hand raised and empty, but, surprisingly, on some specimens tip of spear is visible near the lion's head.

Coin should be listed after ROME 17.

See also:
ROME [after 17], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED ISSUE, OFFICINA P
ROME [after 17], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED ISSUE, OFFICINA S
ROME [after 17], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED ISSUE, OFFICINA Q
ROME [after 17], LICINIUS I, UNLISTED ISSUE, BUST TYPE B4, OFFICINA T
ROME [after 17], LICINIUS I, UNLISTED ISSUE, BUST TYPE B5, OFFICINA P
ROME [after 17], LICINIUS I, UNLISTED ISSUE, BUST TYPE B5, OFFICINA S
ROME [after 17], LICINIUS I, UNLISTED ISSUE, BUST TYPE B5, OFFICINA T
ROME [after 17], LICINIUS I, UNLISTED ISSUE, BUST TYPE B5, OFFICINA Q
ROME [after 17], LICINIUS I, UNLISTED ISSUE, BUST TYPE B5

NOTES

Weight 3.01 g; diameter 21 mm. From Brent Upchurch's collection.

Other specimens:

- sold on eBay in July 2014 for EUR 208.37; now in Tomasz Speier's collection; weight 3.30 g; diameter 19.3-21.5 mm [click for picture];

- sold on Gorny & Mosch auction 208 (lot 2288) in October 2012 for EUR 325; weight 2.01 g [click for picture];

- sold on eBay in December 2004 for USD 745.50; weight 2.4 g; diameter 21 mm; rev. legend breaks uncertain but probably the same [click for picture];

- sold on CNG Triton XXVII (lot 6342) in January 2024 for USD 325; weight 2.68 g; diameter 19.5 mm; officina letter not certain ("P" according to seller) [click for picture];

- from CGB E-shop (brm_421164), sold for EUR 950 (officina letter illegible); weight 2.61 g; diameter 21.5 mm; rev. legend breaks B-E-RA-T [click for picture].


NOT IN RIC © 2004 Lech Stępniewski