Constantius II, as Caesar, 324-337. Follis (Bronze, 20 mm, 3.18 g, 6 h), Constantinopolis, 328. FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantius II to right. Rev. PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS / CONS Campgate with two turrets and no doors; above, star; in field to left, S. RIC 28. Very minor traces of corrosion on the obverse, otherwise, about extremely fine.



As with the coins for his brother, RIC VII placed the 'PROVIDENTIAE CAESS' type for the two Caesars in the second four-type emission. However, as Speck and Huston (1992) pointed out, it belongs with the 'CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE' emission for Constantine I. On this coin, the die engraver eliminated the individual block boundaries on the reverse gate, opting for continuous vertical lines instead. While this design was likely faster to engrave, such a construction in a real gate would have quickly fallen apart!