Small AE3/4 of Delmatius with Two Soldiers, One Standard Reverse

Both boys were murdered during the struggles for power that followed the death of Constantine I. Coins of Delamtius are available, although they are somewhat scarcer than the ordinary two soldiers, one standard type. Coins of Hanniballinus are quite rare though, and are priced in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars for coins in similar condition to the example shown here. The reverse is a two soldiers, two standards type with GLORIA EXERCITVS legend.

This particular coin is a curious oddity indeed. The obverse legend during the later Roman period was unbroken on coins of the caesars, running all the way around from shoulder to shoulder and enclosing an immature bust or head. The broken form of the legend on this coin was reserved for ruling augusti rather than caesars who merely held the status of princes. Could the legend on this coin have indicated that the young man had had aspirations to the throne, and thus have led to his untimely murder by agents of his three older cousins Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans who were to divide the empire between them in AD 337?

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