Solved: Genuine Constantine I, Nicomedia Mint

Hi MetDet71,

How can you tell? Teach me Sensei.

The thing that is bothering me (as a non-expert) is that his head is not matching w/ these guys:



Source: https://www.tesorillo.com/aes/030/030i.htm

Looks real to me. The enormous numbers of these surviving means that there are many many in excellent condition. Happily (or sadly, if one wished to sell), that means these can be had very cheap even in excellent condition. The bust doesn't match because each and every bust was hand cut at the mint, so no two were exactly alike. A single die could mint thousands of coins before being unusable and thousands of dies were used at each mint. It is often possible to assign the mint based on the style of the bust alone.

This one is in the middle of the cleaning process, probably using oil (which results in an even, dark patina). The crud between the letters might be soft enough to remove carefully with a toothpick, or you can put it back in oil until it is ready.

Also, I agree with Palouche's ID (which I make to be RIC VII Nicomedia 199), which I would record with the legend breaks, as these can affect the RIC number:

Constantine I, Nicomedia mint
CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG (Rosette diademed & cuirassed bust right) // GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS / SMN(gamma), soldiers guarding single standard, 'o' on banner.