Question about Roman coin

[Batavian]

Anyone here who knows about Roman coins?

This one is supposed to be a find from England from the period 307-337 AD and minted by emperor Constantine the Great, the "genius of the Roman people" (GENIO POPVLI ROMANI). On one side is his image and on the other side the god Jupiter.

However, the text says "CONSTANTIVS" instead of "CONSTANTINVS", does this mean the coin should be dated earlier and the man depicted is actually Constantine the Great's father Constantius?

[attachment=488]Romeinsemunt001.jpg[/attachment]

[Jona Lendering]

I think Constantine commemorated his father.

[Vindex]

Does this help at all?

http://jp29.org/cgau.htm

I think it suggests that Constantius' coinage depicts a different image to the one shown above (although the beard is worn in the example you show, the eye brow is very prominent)and therefore may well be an issue commemorating Constantine's father and therefore his own link to the "Genio Populi Romani" which I think was also used by Diocletian on his coinage?

[Batavian]

So the date is correct and the coin was still minted by Constantinus the Great, but the name and portrait are those of his father Constantius?

And what kind of currency is this? Aes of folles?

[Vindex]

I would hazard a guess and say that was correct.

The attachment says this

"One of the first orders of business for Constantius was to insure that a supply of reformed aes coinage - now the commonplace legal tender of the Roman Empire - was available for use not only by his occupying force, but also by the British civilian populace. To that end Constantius established a Continental Mint (exact location unknown), manned by Lugdunese workers, to produce this invasion coinage - unmarked (i.e. without a mint mark) folles issued in the names of Diocletian & Maximian Herculius as Augustus and Constantius & Galerius Maximian as Caesar. "

(My bold)

I know of at least one centre producing forged Roman coins but wil have to hunt out the info and check the dates.

[D B Campbell]

However, the text says "CONSTANTIVS" instead of "CONSTANTINVS", does this mean the coin should be dated earlier and the man depicted is actually Constantine the Great's father Constantius?

Yes.

I am not a numismatist, but it seems that the formula "IMP C FL V CONSTANTIVS P F AVG" is rare, the V usually being expanded to VAL. The dating should be AD 305-306, but (I believe) distant mints had begun addressing him as emperor before this.

Edit: I am not sure what the gamma mint mark indicates, but it is probably not London!