Constantine I, 307/310-337. Follis (Bronze, 19 mm, 2.76 g, 6 h), a contemporary imitation of an issue from Arelate. Irregular mint, after 325. CONSTAN•-TINVS AVG Laureate head of Constantine I to right. Rev. VIRTV-S AVGG / S(crescent)AR Camp gate with no doors and four turrets; above, star. Cf. RIC 291 (for possible prototype). Minor areas of weakness, otherwise, about extremely fine.



This initially official-looking coin is revealed as a contemporary 'barbarous' imitation by several features: The mint mark does not exist and there is never a dot after CONSTAN in the official coinage. Furthermore, the camp gate with four turrets and no doors occurs only in the final Providentiae emission at Arles, in RIC 337, long after Arles had been renamed Constantina.