Divus Constantine I, Manus Dei

I've wanted a Constantine I Divus coin for quite sometime but kept putting it off in light of other coins.
Looked at a few but didn't like them.
Constantine era is right there on the bubble of collecting for me. I have very few coins of his reign and after.

The reason for this thread is mostly because I was playing with my photo set up today and this one came in the mail earlier this week. I rephotograghed close to a dozen coins today. I liked how this one turned out.
Its a little crusty but I really like the reverse on this coin.
I like the whole coin, nicely worn. Glad I passed on the others I looked at over the past few months or I wouldn't have paid attention and picked up this one.
From his sons after his death. Driving quadriga to the heavens the hand of God reaching to recieve him.

Divus Constantine I
AE15, 1.7g, 12h, Antioch 9th Officina 337-347AD
DV CONSTANTINVS PT AVGG: Veiled head of Constantine right
Constantine driving quadriga right
Hand of God- Manus Dei above SMANΘ
RIC VIII 39

Thanks JA for another cool coin!

I had to fix my great spelling.
Post and share what you have

 

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Yes, awesome reverse!

 

that's a purdy nice one. mine's a little more worn, and maybe from a different mint. i was looking for it the other day and now i had to go find. thanks

 

NICE pic @Smojo ! You are really moving well into the Dark Side...

Heh-heh-heh... I admit my photography skills are lacking, or I am lazy. I use a lot of my Seller's pics... (Sorry, is @dougsmit looking...??? That fellow Hoosier may beat me to a pulp.)

The only Divus from this period is my Quinarius from his Father:


RI Constantius I Chlorus 293-306 CE DIVO AE Quinarius Thesalonika 317-318 Seated RIC VII 25 R5 RARE

 

Nice coin and photo.

 

Thanks,
Sometimes like 1 out of 100 turn out pretty decent.

 

I know that feel. Great coin man, I'm gonna be looking for one of these types now.

 

Those are pretty neat Bing.

 

ha! i remember when i got mine, i thought it was a woman on the obverse><

 

Yeah, yours is like the 3rd pic in Bings post only has more wear. The drapery is almost straight down in comparison to the type of my OP and Bings first 2 pics.

 

Great choice @Smojo, I find these types very interesting. Hope to see more...

Constantine I
Antioch mint
337 to 347 AD (posthumous)
AE 4
Obvs: DV CONSTANTINVS PT AVGG
Revs: No inscription, Constantine in quadriga with the hand of God extending out of the sky to receive him. SMANS in ex
16mm, 1.6g

Constantine I
Antioch mint
347 to 348 AD (posthumous)
AE 4
Obvs: DV CONSTANTINVS PT AVGG
Revs: VN MR, Constantine veiled. SMANЄΘ in ex
17mm, 2.3g

Constantine I
Cyzicus mint
342 to 347 AD
AE 4
Obvs: DV CONSTANTINVS PT AVGG, Constantine veiled.
Revs: IVSTVEN MEM, Aequitas standing facing, head left, scales in right hand, scroll in left. SMKΓ
15mm, 1.74g

Constantine I
Arles mint
337 to 340 AD
AE 4
Obvs: DIVO CONSTANTINO P, Constantine veiled right.
Revs: AETERNA PIETAS, Emperor holding globe and spear. X to right, PCONST
14x15mm, 1.41g

 

I really enjoyed looking at all these posts - what an interesting series. I don't have but four or five LRB, but I do have a Constantine posthumous "Hands of God" that has very nice smooth chocolaty brown surfaces and a flan crack.





Constantine the Great
AE4 (337-340 A.D.)
Antioch Mint / DV
CONSTANTINVS PT
AVGG, Veiled bust right
/Constantine in quadriga,
hand of God & star above
Mintmark: SMAN and
officina letter S

 

yeah, that's about my ratio of good to bad pics as well!

that's a great looking reverse on that coin!

here's my best of the type, pretty rough. but it's an uncleaned lot coin, so considering...not to shabby.

 

I find it interesting that Constantine I, the first Christian emperor, was also the last Roman emperor to be deified on coinage.

plus this is one of the few coin types that you can find in the literature from the day, from Eusebius-- "At the same time coins were struck portraying the Blessed One on the obverse in the form of one with head veiled, on the reverse like a charioteer on a quadriga, being taken up by a right hand stretched out to him from above." Life of Constantine IV 73

 

I have never been convinced that he was the first Christian emperor. But, we can leave that dawg to lay.

 

I agree

Thanks everyone. See a couple of types I've not really considered until now.

 

I just got a quadriga coin, and instantly fell in love with this reverse!

I will try to post a picture of it tomorrow, but I have a few very stupid, elementary questions:

1. Does "divus" mean something like "god" or more like "divine"?

2. Why is Constantine veiled? (By the way, I, too, thought this was a woman until I looked at my coin more closely. Originally, I had thought: "man, this ancient die-cutter used a male model for this female portrait!" And then I realized the portrait was of a male after all.)

3. What is this "hand of God" business? I can't see anything resembling a hand on the coins in this thread.

4. On another note, the symbolism of the quadriga is certainly very rich. There is the story of Elijah ascending, alive, to God in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, for one thing. Then, too, there is also a very long tradition of showing a quadriga on Greek and Roman coins. Is it possible that Constantine would ever have driven one himself in public, say for ceremonial purposes?

 

@Nathan B. Ill try to deliver some answers but some of it is speculation:
1. Divus meant that he ascended to a godly status. If he would have become a god he would have been called "Deus".
2. My theory is that the veil is part of the ancient roman priests clothing and you can see it on many reverses worn by the emperor because he is the "Pontifex Maximus" of the roman cults. I think the veil on this coin shows that noone was really sure if Constantine really was Christian or "Pagan" so he is displayed as Pontifex Maximus on the obverse but ascending to the Christian Heaven on the reverse.
3. You can see the Hand(s) but because the crude style you might didnt see it as hand. Ill just lend myself the pictures posted by @Marsyas Mike because you can see them really nicely there and apply my huge photo edit skills to make it more clearly :

4. He surely used it on parades, it was the preferred vehicle for the emperor on celebrations. There are even coins from his lifetime showing him riding a quadriga while throwing around coins to the people but I cant find a picture right now so Ill just add this coin (I dont own - Picture from CNG)

 

Anyways here two examples of this series from my collection:
Posthumous Constantine under Emperor Constans and Constantius II. - Quadriga riding to the heavens - Constantinople mint

Posthumous Constantine under Emperor Constans and Constantius II. - VN MR (Venerandae Memoriae) - Cyzikus mint