Delmatius and his elusive coinage

 

Late Roman Imperial coinage is appealing to collectors due to its abundance and affordability. The Constantinian dynasty is a common focus in this area of the hobby, since it comprises many historical figures, reverse types, and themes to collect. The well-known Gloria Exercitus series is ubiquitous, so finding the scarcer Delmatius issue of this type is fulfilling.

 There are two respects in which Dalmatius’ imperial roman, bronze coinage is elusive: generally, regarding any type appearing in the market; and specifically, his Gloria Exercitus (Glory to the Army) two-military standards issue. The latter issue’s lack of visibility will be a main contention in this essay, ignoring his rare gold issues.

 Quick Bio

Delmatius (or sometimes spelled Dalmatius) was a nephew of Constantine the Great. He oversaw Greece from 335-337 AD. After Constantine’s death, both Delmatius and his brother Hanniballianus were likely killed upon the orders of Constantius II, Constatine’s longest-reigning son from 337-361 AD.

 General Collecting

Delmatius’ most common and virtually only available coin is the Gloria Exercitus bronze coin, namely it’s smaller module with only one military standard between two soldiers on the reverse side of the coin.

In AORTA, an encyclopedia of Roman imperial coinage by Rasiel Suarez (2011), the author designates Delmatius’ coinage as generally common. However, he does mention a problem of his coins appearing regularly on the market. The “C” or common rating for Delmatius’ coinage in the market in AORTA belies the collector experience and Suarez’ own admission of scarcity in the market.

Since gold is beyond my collecting means, and silver is even more rare in the later empire, bronze and billon coins are always my target. Delmatius officially has only one bronze coin type, his Gloria Exercitus type.

 Gloria Exercitus Type

Among Delmatius’ AE 3/4 coin entries in AORTA, 23 records out of 92 are specifically for his two standards Gloria Exercitus type. In other words, 25% of his bronze coinage in the catalog! In around 15 years of collecting, I have only seen (virtually or in person) one of these types with two standards. Just one!

Rasiel indicates 11 out of 13 mints issued this coin module. David Sear in Roman Coin (Volume IV, 2011) indicates the price difference between the one-standard and two-standards coins is for VF $35-40 versus $40-50, respectively. XF is $100-120 versus $120-140. So, the price disparity is negligible despite the two-standards issue being almost non-existent in the market.

 Conclusion

Let’s assume my experience is just anecdotal . I then suggest you check E-bay, it’s current and completed listings. Check VCoins, check anywhere. If you run across the Gloria Exercitus, two-standards module for Delmatius, I suggest you purchase it before I do!