Fourth Century Roman Holed Coins

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Gallery of Holed Coins - Fourth Century Roman

My holed ancient coins page gives an overview of different types of holed coins. These are my holed coin galleries:

Hellenic Coins — Roman Republican and Augustan Coins — First Century Roman Coins — Second Century Roman Coins — Third Century Roman Coins — Fourth Century Roman Coins (this page) — Fifth Century Roman Coins — Byzantine or Romaion Coins of Later Centuries — Other Holed Coins of Varying Origins and Times

$Holed radiate fraction of Diocletian$	Radiate fraction of Diocletian, 294-305 CE. 19 x 21mm across, 2.14 grammes.	A low denomination bronze coin of Diocletian. This coin could have been holed in this way to display the emperor's head, or the vows he made, or both. It is tempting to think that the vows on completion of 20 years' service might have been be interpreted personally, something like a modern eternity ring.
	Bronze follis of Diocletian, 303-305 CE. 26 x 28mm across, 9.78 grammes.	A substantially larger coin of the same emperor, Diocletian, this one with two holes next to each other. This coin might possibly have been used as a button, or it might have been sewn onto a piece of cloth or leather as part of some display. There is a similar double piercing on a siliqua near the bottom of this page. Interestingly, this coin responds strongly to a magnet, so there must be some iron in its mix. This is rare, and clearly not intentional.
	Bronze follis of Licinius I, 311 CE. 25mm across, 6.5 grammes.	I don't know why this coin has a hole. It goes through the Emperor's head, from front to back, so perhaps it was intended to deface the coin. But the coin is in good shape otherwise, and the hole is quite small. Maybe the coin was pinned up somewhere as a demonstration of loyalty. The reverse of this coin shows the genius of the Augusti – the guiding or guardian spirit of the Emperors.
	Bronze follis of Licinius I, 313 CE. 23mm, 3.28 grammes.	This coin has been pierced at the base of the portrait, so that if suspended by the hole, the head will be upside down. The hole is not centralised to the design on the reverse of the coin, so it must be the head that is intended to be displayed. Perhaps this one was hung so that when the wearer looked down at it, the head was in the correct orientation? That certainly seems unusual. The coin itself is fairly ordinary, and doesn't appear to have a special significance.
	Bronze follis of Constantine I "The Great", 315-316 CE. 23mm, 3.28 grammes.	This coin still has a sharp image of Sol on its reverse, and this is probably because it has been nailed or pinned to something to display the head of the great ruler. The hole has been made from that side, and the edges inside the hole are too sharp to allow for any period of friction with a loop or a cord. They would have worn down from a loop, or frayed a cord. Sol has some damage to his knee, probably caused when the flange inside the hole was flattened out, as that has the same sort of damage.
	Bronze follis of Licinius II, 317-320 CE. 18 x 20mm, 3.54 grammes.	This coin has been holed, and the hole subsequently plugged very crudely with copper, which is still bright and shining despite the thick patina elsewhere. This suggests that the plug was inserted much later than the date of the coin, though it is not possible to tell when. It is odd that such a low value coin was plugged at all. Even today it is worth very little; I bought it for $2.34.
	Bronze follis of Constantine the Great, 323 or 324 CE. 19mm, 2.81 grammes.	Another quite ordinary coin. Hundreds of thousands of coins like this exist, and many of them are pierced with one or two holes. It is quite possible that small common bronzes like these last two coins were used as decoration on clothing or perhaps on soldier's gear. This particular coin commemorates Constantine's defeat of a Sarmatian invasion of the Balkans in 322 CE, so might have a special meaning for someone in the Roman army.
	Bronze follis of Constantine II, 329 or 330 CE. 18x19mm, 3.34 grammes.	This is an example of a type of coin which is popular with collectors; the so-called "camp gate." It is thought that this type is more likely to represent a city gate, but the exact nature of the objects on top of the walls is not known. Sometimes they look like tripods which might contain beacon fires; sometimes, as here, the round objects above them cast doubt on that idea. This particular coin was struck in Alexandria.
	Bronze follis of Constantine the Great, 332-333 CE. 16x17mm, 2.20 grammes.	A pleasant example of a small coin commemorating Constantinopolis, the emperor's new city in the east and his second capital city. The obverse shows a personification of the city and the reverse shhows Victory standing on the prow of a galley, leaning forward purposefully. This coin has been carefully holed in such a way as not to damage either design.
	Silver siliqua of Constantius II, 337-361 CE. 16 by 14mm, 1.69 grammes.	A silver coin from late in the Roman Empire. The reverse relates to formal vows taken by the Emperor for the welfare of the imperium and the prosperity of the empire. "VOTIS XXX MVLTIS XXXX" says that Constantius has completed 30 years of vows and is looking forward to 40. These coins were struck from 351 to 355 CE. Constantius became Caesar in 324 and Augustus in 337. Therefore, we can deduce that the coins were rather ahead of themselves. This one has been pierced to display the vows. Perhaps someone was demonstrating their loyalty to the imperium, or perhaps it was a more personal token, as conjectured for the coin at the top of this page.
	Silver siliqua of Constantius II, 337-361 CE. 19mm, 2.96 grammes.	Another coin of the same type as the previous one, but struck in Nicomedia rather than Constantia. This one has had its hole plugged with either silver or something that looks like silver, and the finish is quite rough, so it may have been an ancient repair. The hole was placed off centre, but keeping clear of the vows, so like the last coin, the intent was was probably to display them.
	Billon centenionalis of Constans, 348-350 CE. 21 by 22mm, 3.47 grammes.	This centenionalis has been attacked from both sides to get a hole through its tough material. It is a hut type, showing a small figure apparently being led from a hut by a large, armoured and armed Roman soldier. This might symbolise a new citizen being brought into the empire, or a slave being captured; the legend, which means "the restoration of happy times," could bear either interpretation too.
	Holed bronze centenionalis of Decentius, 351-353 CE. 21 x 22mm, 4.40 grammes.	This is Decentius, the brother of the usurper Magnentius, on a coin struck in Aquileia. It shows Decentius as Caesar. His coin portrait is very like that of his brother, even to the big ears and the hairdo, so that it is hard to tell them apart. This coin has been pierced from the side showing two Victories, with little attention paid to the way the hole cuts through the head of the Caesar, so perhaps it was used as a good luck token in the battle for power.
	Billon AE3 of Valens, 364-367 CE. 17.8mm, 1.7 grammes.	This is a rather nice example of a quite common coin of the emperor Valens, which has been holed at one side. The obverse is the usual Imperial portrait, while the reverse shows the emperor again, triumphally dragging a captive whilst brandishing the Christian banner. So it is quite reasonable that the piercing favours neither side, and in fact it has been carefully positioned so as not to interfere with either image.
	Silver siliqua of Arcadius, 383-408 CE. 14x15mm across, 0.9 grammes.	Another silver siliqua, the same general style as the previous one but a little later, and much lighter because silver has been clipped from the rim. This is typical of British finds, and unfortunately, most of the legend has gone with the silver. The two holes suggest this has been sewn onto a garment as decoration. It has been pierced from front to back, so the emperor's head was probably on display.
	Bronze AE1 of Julian II, 360-363 CE. 28 mm, 10.1 grammes.	Julian II was not in favour of Christianity, but was a thinker and a writer. So he was known as either "The Apostate" or "The Philosopher," depending on your viewpoint. This large and well-designed coin shows the Apis bull on its reverse, a non-Christian symbol that had links to the worship of Mithras and the invincible sun. This coin has been pierced to display the bull – you can see how the hole has been carefully placed to avoid any of the design elements on the reverse.

Hellenic Coins — Roman Republican and Augustan Coins — First Century Roman Coins — Second Century Roman Coins — Third Century Roman Coins — Fourth Century Roman Coins (this page) — Fifth Century Roman Coins — Byzantine or Romaion Coins of Later Centuries — Other Holed Coins of Varying Origins and Times

The content of this page was last updated on 1 June 2010.

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