Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 125 23-24 Jun 2021
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Constans, son of Constantine III, 410 – 411..
Solidus, Caesaragusta end 408-beginning 409, AV 4.06 g. D N CONSTA – NS P F AVG Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. VICTORIA – A AVCCC Emperor standing r., foot on captive, holding standard and Victory on globe; in field, C – S. In exergue, COMOB. C –. RIC –. LRC –. Holland, Bulletin de la Sociéte Française de Numismatique 76, January 2001, Un solidus inédit de Constant, fils de Constantine III (407-411) témoin d'un donativum frappé à Caesaraugusta en 409, p. 16 (this coin illustrated).
Apparently unique. An extraordinary numismatic discovery, the only solidus of Constans
in existence. An issue of tremendous importance and fascination.
Flan chipped at twelve o'clock on obverse, otherwise very fine
Ex Hermes of London sale 1, 2020, 210.
As the son of Constantine III, a soldier who was hailed emperor by his comrades in Britain, it was natural that Constans II would serve in his father's regime. Times were difficult in the West, and desperate measures were required to preserve the order. The soldiers abandoned hope that Honorius would defend the western provinces, as he was occupied with trying to keep the Visigoths out of Italy. So they hailed their own emperor three times in rapid succession – Marcus, Gratian and Constantine III. The first two were killed quickly and issued no coins, but the last survived approximately four years before he was captured and executed. Though Britain had just been ravaged by the Picts, Constantine III crossed the Channel into Gaul to fend off Honorius' general Sarus and to try to expel the Burgundians, Vandals, Alans, Alemanni, Franks and Suevi who had crossed the frozen Rhine into Germany and Gaul. Constantine III found success and eventually enlarged his domain to include Britain, northern Spain, Germany, Gaul and seemingly also Rhaetia. His victories were significant, but his gains were temporary, as rebellions soon arose in Britain and in Spain. Constans II apparently was a monk before he was hailed Caesar. Even his younger brother Julian seems to have been given the title nobilissimus at the time Constans II was hailed Caesar, but nothing else is known of him. Presumably in 408 Constans II was sent to Spain with his father's magister militum Gerontius to secure the peninsula. Their work was only partially successful and Constans II returned to Gaul with two ringleaders of the pro-Honorius resistance, Verenianus and Didymus, both of whom were executed at Arles. By 409 Constans' father had raised him from Caesar to Augustus. Until this specimen, the only coins known for Constans II are siliquae from Arles and Trier, the inscriptions of which confirm he held the rank of Augustus. This unique solidus, instead, was struck at Caesaraugusta, the only city, outside of Gaul, where we know, according to historical sources, that Constans stayed for a short period. This solidus was recently published by the scholar Dominique Hollard in the Bulletin de la Société Française de Numismatique where he hypothesizes that this coin is a donativum struck by Constans when he was raised to the status of Augustus. Before this recent article, we already had a new theory about the mint of Caesaraugusta. In 2016, when David Berthood, published an unrecorded siliqua from Trier, he attributed the mint mark SM CS, known on very few Constans siliquae, to Caesaraugusta, comparing them with the contemporary specimens minted by Maximus at Barcelona, bearing the mintmark SM BA as officina. This attribution appears to be correct because we know that during Roman Empire, the officinas used to indicate the mint names by using their first two consonants such as: TR for Trevorum, MD for Medionalum, RV for Ravenna, etc. It is therefore plausible that CS indicates Caesaraugusta. If Berthood's attribution is correct, we could not agree on his chronology since the he inserts, chronologically, first the silique of Maximus' minted at Barcelona and later those of Costans. Holland explains why this dating is problematic: in September or October 409, the Vandals and other Germanic tribes crossed the Pyrenees and Maximus was in Tarraco, preparing his army. It therefore seems unlikely that Constans would have been at Caesaraugusta during that period. Furthermore, his campaign in Spain was very short-lived, considering his rapid retreat chased by Gerontius. For this reason, Holland theorises that both this issue and, most likely the solidus, could have been a donativum minted by Constans for his generals and his guards in Caesaragusta when he received the title of Augustus. However, this raises another question: when did he receive that title? Bastien suggested the end 409 or the beginning of 410, but, as we wrote, Holland if of the opinion that this is too late. At the beginning of 409, Honorius recognised Constans' father, Constantine III, as Augustus after Athalaric's threat in Italy. So, it is possible that Constantine gave to his son, already Caesar, the title of Augustus and consequently, for this reason, Constans minted a gold issue to celebrate this event, before moving from Caesaraugusta to Arles in Gaul. Following this theory, we believe it would be correct to bring forward the dating of the Constans issues bearing the mint-mark CS, to the Autumn of 408 and the Spring 409, when he was at Caesaraugusta and he celebrated his rise to Augustus, minting donativa for his most important officers and magistrates.
Solidus, Caesaragusta end 408-beginning 409, AV 4.06 g. D N CONSTA – NS P F AVG Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. VICTORIA – A AVCCC Emperor standing r., foot on captive, holding standard and Victory on globe; in field, C – S. In exergue, COMOB. C –. RIC –. LRC –. Holland, Bulletin de la Sociéte Française de Numismatique 76, January 2001, Un solidus inédit de Constant, fils de Constantine III (407-411) témoin d'un donativum frappé à Caesaraugusta en 409, p. 16 (this coin illustrated).
Apparently unique. An extraordinary numismatic discovery, the only solidus of Constans
in existence. An issue of tremendous importance and fascination.
Flan chipped at twelve o'clock on obverse, otherwise very fine
Ex Hermes of London sale 1, 2020, 210.
As the son of Constantine III, a soldier who was hailed emperor by his comrades in Britain, it was natural that Constans II would serve in his father's regime. Times were difficult in the West, and desperate measures were required to preserve the order. The soldiers abandoned hope that Honorius would defend the western provinces, as he was occupied with trying to keep the Visigoths out of Italy. So they hailed their own emperor three times in rapid succession – Marcus, Gratian and Constantine III. The first two were killed quickly and issued no coins, but the last survived approximately four years before he was captured and executed. Though Britain had just been ravaged by the Picts, Constantine III crossed the Channel into Gaul to fend off Honorius' general Sarus and to try to expel the Burgundians, Vandals, Alans, Alemanni, Franks and Suevi who had crossed the frozen Rhine into Germany and Gaul. Constantine III found success and eventually enlarged his domain to include Britain, northern Spain, Germany, Gaul and seemingly also Rhaetia. His victories were significant, but his gains were temporary, as rebellions soon arose in Britain and in Spain. Constans II apparently was a monk before he was hailed Caesar. Even his younger brother Julian seems to have been given the title nobilissimus at the time Constans II was hailed Caesar, but nothing else is known of him. Presumably in 408 Constans II was sent to Spain with his father's magister militum Gerontius to secure the peninsula. Their work was only partially successful and Constans II returned to Gaul with two ringleaders of the pro-Honorius resistance, Verenianus and Didymus, both of whom were executed at Arles. By 409 Constans' father had raised him from Caesar to Augustus. Until this specimen, the only coins known for Constans II are siliquae from Arles and Trier, the inscriptions of which confirm he held the rank of Augustus. This unique solidus, instead, was struck at Caesaraugusta, the only city, outside of Gaul, where we know, according to historical sources, that Constans stayed for a short period. This solidus was recently published by the scholar Dominique Hollard in the Bulletin de la Société Française de Numismatique where he hypothesizes that this coin is a donativum struck by Constans when he was raised to the status of Augustus. Before this recent article, we already had a new theory about the mint of Caesaraugusta. In 2016, when David Berthood, published an unrecorded siliqua from Trier, he attributed the mint mark SM CS, known on very few Constans siliquae, to Caesaraugusta, comparing them with the contemporary specimens minted by Maximus at Barcelona, bearing the mintmark SM BA as officina. This attribution appears to be correct because we know that during Roman Empire, the officinas used to indicate the mint names by using their first two consonants such as: TR for Trevorum, MD for Medionalum, RV for Ravenna, etc. It is therefore plausible that CS indicates Caesaraugusta. If Berthood's attribution is correct, we could not agree on his chronology since the he inserts, chronologically, first the silique of Maximus' minted at Barcelona and later those of Costans. Holland explains why this dating is problematic: in September or October 409, the Vandals and other Germanic tribes crossed the Pyrenees and Maximus was in Tarraco, preparing his army. It therefore seems unlikely that Constans would have been at Caesaraugusta during that period. Furthermore, his campaign in Spain was very short-lived, considering his rapid retreat chased by Gerontius. For this reason, Holland theorises that both this issue and, most likely the solidus, could have been a donativum minted by Constans for his generals and his guards in Caesaragusta when he received the title of Augustus. However, this raises another question: when did he receive that title? Bastien suggested the end 409 or the beginning of 410, but, as we wrote, Holland if of the opinion that this is too late. At the beginning of 409, Honorius recognised Constans' father, Constantine III, as Augustus after Athalaric's threat in Italy. So, it is possible that Constantine gave to his son, already Caesar, the title of Augustus and consequently, for this reason, Constans minted a gold issue to celebrate this event, before moving from Caesaraugusta to Arles in Gaul. Following this theory, we believe it would be correct to bring forward the dating of the Constans issues bearing the mint-mark CS, to the Autumn of 408 and the Spring 409, when he was at Caesaraugusta and he celebrated his rise to Augustus, minting donativa for his most important officers and magistrates.