CONSTANTINE II - Arelate - bound captive - RRRRR One of the great rarities of Late Roman Bronze coins Start Price USD 0.99 Current Price USD 305.00 Time Left - Bid Count 17 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, June 27, 2008 End Time Monday, July 07, 2008 Location Stockholm, Sweden See more about 'CONSTANTINE II - Arelate - bound captive - RRRRR' Description An INCREDIBLY RARE Roman coin of Constantine II (junior) as caesar, with bound captive in the mintmarkThis is an ancient Roman bronze coin of Constantine II (caesar 317-337 AD, augustus 337-340), son of Constantine the Great. This coin is very well struck in high relief on obverse, whereas the central part of the reverse is flatly struck. The coin shows some wear on the obverse only. Size AE3 20mm, weight 3.10g. Minted in Arelate year 318/319 AD, RIC 181, officina P (entire issue struck only in this officina), rated r4.  Obverse legend: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB CAESReverse legend: CLARITAS REIPVB. Sol stg. l., chlamys across l. shoulder, globe in l. hand, raising r.Mintmark: P / bound captive / AEXCESSIVELY RARE! Of the six RIC numbers in this issue five are known from a single specimen each, almost all in the Vienna collection.  Maybe one or two decent coins with this mintmark are sold every decade. I am now offering on eBay both of my remarkable specimens of this issue. This is your chance to get one of the rarest types of coin from the early 4th Century! The reserve reflects the very special character of these coins.Arelate: Today this is Arles is southern France. Arles was established by the Greeks as early as the 6th century BC. It was captured by the Celtic Salluvii  in 535 BC, who renamed it to  Arelate. The  Romans took the town in 123 BC and expanded it into an important city. It became a favorite city of Emperor Constantine I, who built  baths there, substantial remains of which are still standing. His son, Constantine II, was born there. It was also a key location for Roman Christianity and an important base for the Christianization of Gaul. [Adapted from Wikipedia.]PROVENANCE: Münzen & Medaillen Deutschland Auktion 7, 2000, lot 626.GUARANTEE: Guaranteed authentic as described. If any of my coins is ever proven to be non-authentic I guarantee your money back, anytime in my lifetime.SHIPPING: S&h is US$ 4 anywhere for 1-2 coins. I am happy to combine shipping if notified by the buyer. For 3 or more coins the buyer will be charged actual postage.Coins are sent well protected in Jiffylite / Mail Lite. Insurance is expensive from Sweden and nothing I recommend, but I will insure coins on request, at cost.PAYMENT: Payment is through PayPal or bank transfer, in US$, Euros or Swedish Kronor (SEK). I will send my IBAN and BIC on request. No cash, no checks, no money orders.ABOUT ME: I am a private collector and numismatist, not a dealer. I am now selling off coins that no longer fit in my collection in order to concentrate on the Mint of Rome under Constantine I. Most of the coins I sell were bought from dealers and auction houses during the last 30 years.Thanks for viewing my listingDeutsch wird gesprochen (aber vielleicht nicht so gut).Je parle français, pas bien, mais ça va. Place a Bid!