Constantine LIFETIME Chi-Rho

There have been so many threads on Constantine and Christian symbols (like this recent one) that I’m somewhat reticent to begin another. But I’d like to focus on a narrow topic, which might yield a short thread indeed: Constantine “Lifetime” issues featuring a Chi-Rho.

We talk about “lifetime” Julius Caesar portrait denarii, or “lifetime” Alexander the Great tets, with the understanding that a lifetime issue has a higher degree of collectability. I think the same may be said, to a slightly lesser degree, about coins struck for Constantine featuring a Chi-Rho Christian symbol.

We know that the Chi-Rho features prominently on coins of Magnentius and Decentius, and on various standards (the labarum) on coins of Constantine’s sons. But as I understand it, the chi-rho on an issue of Constantine the Great is quite scarce, if not rare.

On Saturday, I received an email notice that this coin appeared in @Victor_Clark's stock:

Constantine I; 336 A.D.; AE nummus
16 mm. 1.8 g. 180°
CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
GLORIA EXERCITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them one standard inscribed with a Chi-Rho.
PCONST; Arles. RIC VII Arles 394.
Top photo is mine; bottom photo is Victor's.




I was driving and actually ordered the coin on my cell phone because I hadn’t seen one for sale since I started paying attention. (Yes, I know, not very safe. It won’t happen again. ).

It looks like a garden-variety GLORIA EXERCITUS, a reverse type that is in the running for the “roach” of LRBs. But the fact that it’s a Constantine I with a Chi-Rho standard makes it one of the few Constantine I coins issued during his lifetime that bears the Chi-Rho. (I guess the term "lifetime" here is unnecessary since any coin struck for Constantine featuring the Chi-Rho was struck during his lifetime; there are no posthumous issues for him featuring a Chi-Rho, unlike, say, posthumous issues of Alexander the Great. I suppose "lifetime" simply stresses this point.)

(One other aside here: I ordered the coin at 1 pm Saturday. I came home MONDAY (!) to find the coin in my mailbox. Simple $5 basic shipping. The speed must be due to Victor’s attention to his business and the fact that we live only 140 miles apart in Tennessee.)

Post/discuss lifetime Constantine Chi-Rhos, or anything you feel is relevant.

 

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Wow VERY nice @Gavin Richardson ! Congrats on this fantastic find. And, great job @Victor_Clark for the super customer care.

Although this is not my collecting area, I would definately snap this one up as you had!

 

Yes! Right after I bought it I emailed Victor privately and asked him about his impressions of scarcity. He wrote, "They are fairly scarce...it was the only example that was currently for sale on Vcoins. I try to get them as often as I see them, but over the past four to five years have only had 7 of them..." He also felt that desirability might create a somewhat artificial scarcity; Constantine collectors like me tend to snatch these up as soon as they appear. I've always found Victor's coins fairly priced as well, which helps push that "buy" button.

 

Great coin @Gavin Richardson - and very historical. Must be pretty rare. I suppose we can assume that Constantine was acting off of his vision before the battle with Maxentius, well at least if one follows Eusebius.

 

Yes. I wonder if this symbol was something that he ordered. Why so late, though--336, one year before his death?

We know Constantine delayed his baptism until practically his deathbed because serious sin (and he did a lot of it) could jeopardize one's salvation. Was this late Chi-Rho issue related to a more spiritual turn as he faced his end? But he was in the East (Nicomedia) when he died, a long way from Arles. So maybe this coin design was just the result of a Christian mint worker in the West acting independently of any centralized order from Constantine. Interesting to speculate about.

 

BTW, I have never used this site, but here's another one currently for sale:

https://www.ebid.net/us/for-sale/co...-arles-394-detecting-find-53-rb-128680204.htm

 

Nice one. I have looked through all mine with Chi-Rho and none are CTG.

 

Yes, for a long time I thought I had a CTG with the labarum, even well into a period when I considered myself a reasonably knowledgeable collector. But then one day I found out that Constantine II also used the CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG legend, and that all along I had a Constantine II coin.

I'm not sure how one is supposed to know that this Siscia coin is a Constantine II and not a Constantine I, unless one knows that Constantine I had Chi-Rho coins minted only at Constantina/Arles.

 

Very nice @Gavin Richardson that is a great historical coin. I can understand why you snapped that one up, I would have too. I have a coin of his son Constans with a chi-rho on the reverse.

Constants Billon Reduced Centenionalis, , 2nd officina, Siscia (Sisak, Croatia) mint, 9 Sep 337 - spring 340 A.D.
16.3mm 1.328g
Obv: CONSTAN-S P F AVG, laurel and rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: GLORIA EXERCITVS, two soldiers standing facing, flanking labarum, each holds spear in outer hand and rests inner hand on shield, BSIS and dot within crescent in exergue.
RIC VIII Siscia 100

 

This is discussed at Table 2 of my site on Christian Symbolism on Ancient Coins.

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Christian/ChristianTable2.html

It says, "None of the Siscia coins are of Constantine I -- even the coins like this one with his portrait and legend are really of Constantine II who assumed the titles of Constantine. This is easy to prove because there are no coins of Sisica with chi-rho minted for the Caesars -- all chi-rho coins of this type for Constantius II (next) and Constans (second next) have obverse legend with AVG. This contrasts with Type 1.13 of Constantina (= Arles) which appears for Constantine as Augustus and all the Caesars and Delmatius."

 

Nice catch, I am in the same boat as everyone else with just a Constantius ii example. Same as @maridvnvm's 2nd coin but without the added crossbar, just tassles hanging from the banner. a little crusty.

 

Nice pounce! Like maridvnvm and tenbobbit, mine are of the Caesars. (They are still scarce.)

Constantius II:


This earlier two standards example with the chi-rho control mark between is rare (Constans):

I think this is almost certainly correct, since it only occurs at the one mint.

 

These also come in Delmatius.

 

Thanks Gavin on information. I also, until now, think that this my example is Constantine I:

 

Yes. That Siscia coin is of Constantine II. Very confusing. I think ours is a common mistake.

 

Very interesting coin @Gavin Richardson! I only have a very few LRBs. Here are couple of chi-ro coins. I know I'm into the next dynasty, but it's all I've got!

Valens (brother of Valentinian I). Æ3, Siscia, 364–78 CE; 19mm, 2.27g. C 11, cf. LRBC II 1276 (•ASISC), RIC 5b. Obv: DN VALEN–S P F AVG; pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust r. Rx: GLORIA RO–MANORVM; emperor r., drags captive and holds labarum; •BSISC in exergue. VF.

------------------------------------------

Gratian (son of Valentinian I by Severa). Æ, Siscia, 3rd officina, 367–5 CE; 17mm, 2.44g, 7h. RIC IX 14c.xvii; LRBC II —. Obv: DN GRATIANVS P F AVG; Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust ri. Rx: GLORIA ROMANORVM; Emperor advancing r, head l., dragging bound captive and holding labarum; M-*/P in field; ΓSISC in exergue. VF.

 

Hey guys, ALEGANDRONis back!

 

Interesting post, Gavin!

 

I love chi-rho coins!

I have a few and would like to collect some more of them.

Erin

 

Hmmm Chi-Rho... how about a REAL anomaly:

This is for @Deacon Ray ...

This guy anticipated Christ being hung on the cross 250+ years before...

Kinda a real Ripley's "Believe it or Not" moment... amaaaaazing


Egypt Ptolemy III
245-222 BCE AE 34mm 31g HemiDrachm
Obv: Zeus-Ammon
Rev: Eagle Thunderbolt Cornucopia XP Chi-Rho between Eagle's legs
Ref: SV 965

Yeah, and I have a few of those run-of the-mill XP's too:


RI Delmatius 335-337 CE Quarter Folles CHI RHO banner flanked by 2 soldiers Sear 3131


RI Delmatius 335-337 CE Quarter Folles CHI RHO banner flanked by 2 soldiers


RI Constans 337-350 AE3 19mm Thesalonika mint Reparatio stdg CHI RHO banner


RI Magnentius 351-352 CE AE 1 CHI RHO


RI Verina w Leo I AE2 20mm 457-475 Victory inscribing CHI RHO - RIC X 656 R3 RARE