Show your Constantine's

I found these some years ago. 2 City of Constantinople Commemoratives and 1 Constantine. I especially like the one showing Romulus and Remus, suckling at the Wolf.




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I really like the period and it's history. I'm trying to purchase as many commemoratives/anonymous issues as possible.

 

That's a nice piece right there.

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Nice coins guys, I don't have too many Constantine coins besides this Milvian bridge commemorative issue struck in celebration of the foundation of Constantinople. CONS/S (Constantinople) 6th officina,
draped bust of Genus (some old green patina over ) struck 330 AD,
RIC V111 pg 448. 14mm, 1.0gm. Below the coin I have a recent picture I took when last in Rome of the bridge today.

 

Nice

 

Great examples, gang ...

Ummm, here are my two Constantinople commemoratives + plus a humble double-door example from Constantine The Great ...

 

Three very sharp coins steve

 

My two favourite coins of Constantine I...


CONSTANTINE I
AE3
3.15g, 19mm
Constantinople mint, AD 327-328
RIC VII 25 (R2)
O: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, rosette-diademed head right.
R: LIBERT-A-S PVBLICA, Victory standing with head left on a galley, holding up a wreath in each hand; CONS in exergue, B in left field.


CONSTANTINE I
AE3
3.12g, 20mm
Constantinople mint, AD 328
RIC VII 32
O: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, rosette-diademed head of Constantine right, looking up to the heavens.
R: CONSTANTINI-ANA DAFNE, Victory seated left on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking right, spurning a captive kneeling left with head turned right; a shield at her foot and a trophy before her; gamma in left field, CONS in exergue.

 

I don't have anything not already shown in this thread, but here are my two current favorites:


Commemorative Series under Constantine I
330 CE; Æ 14.5 mm, 1.16 gm
Constantinople mint, 1st officina
Obv: POP ROMANVS; draped bust of Genius left, with cornucopia over shoulder
Rev: Milvian Bridge over Tiber River; CONS//A
Ref: RIC VIII 21; LRBC 1066; Vagi 3043
ex E.E. Clain-Stefanelli collection


Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 84, SMANTE

 

That has to be the best Milvian bridge I have seen.

 

Love that top one Zumbly the different shades of light green is fantastic.

 

The coins shown are great!

I have a few Constantinople and Roma commemoratives:

CONSTANTINOPLE:






VRBS ROMA:

 

AND, I have Constantine and his mom:

CONSTANTINE I:

RI Constantine I Folles 306-337 CE Captives VOTA Banner Obv-Rev.jpg

HELENA: (without his Ma, he could not get anything done...)

RI Helena mother Constantine AE Follis Securitas Nicomedia mint 325-326 CE 19mm 3-3g RIC-95 Sear 16619.JPG

 

A lot of people reference this coin as commemorating the Battle of the Milvian bridge, but I don't think that it does. Primarily because the battle took place 18 years after the issue of this coin, with no Milvian bridge coin issues struck in between. A coin struck this late after an event would not be recognized by many.

I believe it is just a generic representation of a bridge, which were crowning achievements of Roman engineering. There was however, quite a large bridge built around this time. Perhaps the POP ROMANVS is alluding to the bridge built over the Danube circa A.D. 328. or just commemorating Roman ingenuity.

The bridge linking the banks of the Danube was an engineering marvel and mentioned in several sources-

Aurelius Victor was a historian who lived circa A.D. 320- 390. He also mentioned the bridge in De Caesaribus 13.4 and 41.13. This bridge probably marked the start of a Gothic campaign. Victor said that the bridge was built and then, "camps and forts were strategically placed in many locations."

"Constantine the pious crossed the Danube very many times, and made a bridge for it in stone." Chronicon Paschale

This bridge was even commemorated on a bronze medallion issued in Rome.

 

I agree and noted that point in my writeup, accessible by the link in my post. Of course, I am willfully choosing to go with the traditional attribution. It makes for a better story .

 

Most of the coins shown here have been very late in the reign of Constantine and rather small
. I'll throw out one from his early period when Maxentius (known mostly for losing at Milvian bridge) was Augustus in Rome and recognized Constantine as Caesar with the issue of coins that look more like Maxentius than 'normal' Constantines. Being early, it can be larger (AE1) which never hurts collectability.


Constantine, as son and heir of the Augustus Constantius I believed he should be Augustus succeeding his father rather than just Caesar. Eastern ruler Galerius had other ideas (Licinius) but attempted to placate Constantine and Maximinus II with the creation of a new title 'Son of the Augustus' or FIL AVG issuing coins from mints under his control (Heraclea below). This title did not go over so well either but gave us some other 'different' Constantine AE1 coins.


Finally, after Constantine had convinced the world that he was not going away quietly, he issued a few AE1 coins with title Augustus. Not too long after this, the follis (standard coin) shrank to a point that we no longer have AE1 size coins for the rest of his life. My example of the later big coin is a Mars reverse from Trier.


There are many coins of Constantine but an overview collection needs representation from the early, larger issues.

 

Decent coins and an interesting era.

I recently obtained two new coins of this era from JAZ Numismatics

CONSTANTINE I
AE Follis
OBVERSE: IMP C FL VAL CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate head right
REVERSE: IOVI CONSER-VATORI AVGG; Jupiter stg. facing, head l., chlamys hanging from l. shoulder, r. holding Victory on globe, l. leaning on scepter; eagle with wreath in beak at feet to l. In right field B; SMHT in ex
Struck at Heraclea 312 AD
3.1g, 22mm
RIC VI Heraclea 75, p. 541
Ex JAZ

CONSTANTINE I
AE Follis
OBVERSE: CONSTANTINVS PF AVG; Laureate, cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: SOLI INVICTO COMITI; Sol standing slightly left left, radiate, nude but for cloak over shoulders and left arm, raising right hand commanding the sun to rise, globe in left hand, T - F divided across field, PTR in ex
Struck at Treveri 310-313 AD
4.4g, 25mm
RIC VI Treveri 872, p. 227
Ex JAZ

 

To pick up where Doug left off, another Follis from Londinium.
Still somewhat early in the reign and minted close to the signing of the Edict of Milan, showing the wisdom of the emperor.

Constantine I
Rome mint
313 AD
AE 1/4 Follis
Obvs: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, Bare head facing right.
Revs: SAPIENTIA PRINCIPIS, Owl standing left on altar, shield, spear and helmet around. RT

 

Constantine (307 - 337 A.D.)
AE3
O:CONSTANTINVS AVG, diademed head right, ladder-shaped diadem with dots in segments
R: DN CONSTANTINI MAX AVG around VOT XXX in wreath, dot SMHA in ex.
Heraclea Mint 326 - 327 A.D.
19mm
2.8g
RIC VII 90