Σύγχρονο Ασήμι Μενταγιόν με Φόλισ Λικίνιος Β’ (χωρίς τιμή ασφαλείας)

ITEM: Σύγχρονο κρεμαστό με Follis Licinius II
MATERIAL: Ασήμι και μπρούντζος
CULTURE: Ρωμαϊκή
PERIOD: 4ος Αιώνας μ.Χ.
DIMENSIONS: διάμετρος 22 mm
CONDITION: Καλή κατάσταση. Αρχικό νόμισμα εντός ενός σύγχρονου χειροποίητου κυκλικού ασημένιου περιβλήματος.
PROVENANCE: Από ιδιωτική συλλογή στο Βέλγιο, αγορασμένο στις δεκαετίες του 1990

COIN DESCRIPTION: Licinius II (317-324) AE Follis. D N VAL LICIN LICINIVS NOB C, κεφαλή αριστερά με κράνος και θωρακισμένο στήθος, κρατώντας δόρυ και ασπίδα / IOVI CONSERVATORI, ο Δίας στέκεται αριστερά, κρατώντας τη Νίκη πάνω σε σφαίρα και σκήπτρο, αετός στα πόδια αριστερά, αιχμάλωτος προς τα δεξιά, X πάνω από IIμ (=12,5 δραχμές) στο δεξιό πεδίο. Mintmark SMALS. RIC VII Alexandria 30; Cohen 21; Sear (1998) 3816 (όχι στη νέα Sear). 19mm 3.06g

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity.

IMPORTANT: Does not include the transparent cord shown in the photo

Valerius Licinianus Licinius, commonly known as Licinius II or Licinius Junior, was a figure of the late Roman Empire who briefly served as co-ruler alongside his father, the Emperor Licinius I. Born around 315 AD to Licinius I and Flavia Julia Constantia—the half-sister of Constantine the Great—his lineage placed him directly at the heart of the complex, volatile power struggles following the collapse of Diocletian's Tetrarchy. On March 1, 317 AD, while still an infant, he was elevated to the rank of Caesar (junior emperor) as part of a temporary truce and power-sharing arrangement between his father in the East and his uncle Constantine in the West. His elevation was solemnized on the same day as Constantine’s sons, Crispus and Constantine II, establishing a fragile dynastic balance across the divided empire.

Despite his youth, Licinius II's image was extensively used for political representation and propaganda across the eastern provinces. Roman mints struck bronze folles depicting the young Caesar wearing military armor, carrying a spear and shield, or holding a globe and mappa to project an aura of strength, stability, and imperial continuity. Coinage minted in cities such as Heraclea, Nicomedia, and Alexandria bore his titles—such as Licinius Jun[ior] Nob[ilissimus] C[aesar]—often backed by reverses honoring Iovi Conservatori (Jupiter the Preserver), the traditional patron deity favored by his father's regime in opposition to Constantine's growing embrace of Christianity.

Licinius II's reign as Caesar was short-lived, governed entirely by the shifting fortunes of his father's rivalry with Constantine. When open civil war erupted again in 324 AD, Constantine defeated Licinius I at the decisive Battle of Chrysopolis, unifying the Roman Empire under his sole rule. Stripped of his imperial titles, the young Licinius II was initially spared alongside his father through the pleading of his mother, Constantia. However, as Constantine consolidated his absolute authority, his leniency evaporated; after executing the elder Licinius in 325 AD, Constantine ordered the execution of his young nephew in 326 AD. Licinius II was subjected to a posthumous damnatio memoriae, erasing his name from official public inscriptions, though his surviving coinage endures as a poignant reminder of the child emperors caught in the political crossfire of the late Roman world.