IMP XXXXII COS XVII P P (type III / II, B) (441 / 450)
Bust of Theodosius II facing, cuirassed, wearing a helmet with crest and a pearl diadem. Holding a spear passing behind his head with the right hand and a decorated shield with a horseman slaying an enemy, with the left hand.
P Constantinople seated left on a throne, holding a spear with the left hand and a globe surmounted by a cross with the right hand. A shield behind the throne and a star in the field to the left.
Marks
Photo of a coin sold on 11/03/2020 by Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 463, lot 508, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=6880533, link to their website: http://www.cngcoins.com/. Formerly sold on 26/03/2008 by Spink, Auction 8006, lot 926, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=452590. Then resold on 24/09/2019 by Sovereign Rarities, Auction 2, lot 378, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=6318533.
Variant without a dot on the obverse and two dots on the reverse located after the first P of IMP and the last P of P P. COMOB mark. Reverse of type III (legend with dots) and design of type II, shield of type B.
The first dot is almost invisible and may have sustained an impact that partially crushed it; it does not appear to be a small break, but rather an inscribed dot.
RIC X does not list any coin with two dots without officina letter. It is possible that coins with only one dot actually have two or more... the same reasoning applies to coins with two or three.. dots, which could have more. These details are too small and shallow, prone to wear or poor minting quality. Coins with almost invisible dots are regularly observed. Coins in excellent condition leave little doubt as to the number of dots inscribed, but we must still remain open to the possibilities I just outlined.
On many coins (regardless of the number of dots), there is a sort of dark dot located between the two Ps or after the last one. If one of the dots is unmistakably present after one of the Ps, the other letter often shows another dark dot. Is it a case of a clogged die revealing a tiny remnant that looks like a sort of smudge due to the lighting in the photo? This also applies to other spots in front of other letters (though this is less common). It could just as well be a matter of micro-cracks in the die like those seen on the obverse but the location of these small details on the reverse is peculiar, as they are situated between the letters.
Type III: with the mark CONOB or COMOB (CONOB here). Legend punctuation on the reverse. This corresponds to type II of RIC X. Variant A and B are the same as RIC X: A = large, B = smaller, rounder shield. This type blends characteristics of types I and II in terms of design and the position of the legend relative to the shield: Constantinople large or small, helmet flat or not, drapery tight or not natural, legend ending before or at the level of the shield. The likely reuse of old reverse dies (there are already links between obverse dies and coins without reverse dots) consequently mixes the first two types. This mixing of the two types may also demonstrate the high probability that this series with dots on reverse is the last. For each Type III coin, I add the reverse design type after ''/'', thus giving either: ''III / I'' or ''III / II'', designating a Type III reverse with a Type I or II design followed by shield type A or B.