Nomos 19

Constantius II, 337-361. Light Miliarense (Silver, 22.5 mm, 4.78 g, 7 h), Sirmium, 353-354. D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantius to right. Rev. FELICITAS ROMANORVM / SIRM On the left, Constantius, diademed, in military dress and Constantius Gallus, bare-headed, standing facing under distyle arch, heads confronted, each holding scepter and globe. Cohen 74. RIC VIII 11. Very rare and most unusual preserved with what appears to be later attachment loop. Minor edge cut and traces of wear from use as an attachment, otherwise, very fine.

From the Trausnitz Collection, acquired from Münzhandlung Athena on 10 February 1999.

Coins were often used as ornaments in Antiquity, as, of course, they continued to be used through the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and on into modern times. In fact, many ancient gold coins have some traces of mounting (though these traces are not necessarily noticed today), such as scratches, bangs, holes, or traces of solder. Ignorant modern finders have been known to remove ancient mounts in the belief that doing so increases a coin's value! Many years ago a real idiot brought in an aureus of Tetricus II to Silvia Hurter and me; its only fault was that, curiously, the letters of the legend were pressed flat! The finder then proudly told us that when discovered the coin was in a filigree ring mount, but there were damages so he (the finder) pried it off with a pen-knife and melted it down(!!!) After telling him that the coin would have been worth over CHF 50,000 with the mount, and it was, maybe worth 5,000 without it, she threw him out! This coin is, of course, not an aureus, but it is a very rare coin and the mount is an ancient one, probably from across the Empire's border, in Barbaricum.