My first Constantine coin!

I opened a thread before that I was interested in having some Constantine I coins, preferably minted in Greece/Minor Asia. Now I have waited and looked through many coins and I decided to get this one! I really like the portrait, the hairs are so detailed! I also like the reverse, everything on there is nice and visible.

See it for yourself:


Constantine I (307-337 A.D.) Bronze follis (3,91g; 22,5mm). Thessalonica mint (year of mint?)
Obverse: IMP C CONSTANTINVS PF AVG. Laureate head right.
Reverse: IOVI CONSERVATORI AVGG N N / • TS•E •. Jupiter standing facing, head left, with sceptre and holding Victoria set on globe; to feet left, eagle standing left with wreath in beak.
Reference: ?

If you have any information about this coin type (for example year of mint and reference etc) then please share it, at the moment my Roman coin knowledge is at 1%. Also, what do those Latin words mean? For Greek coins it is easy reading as I am Greek myself.

Oh and share your Constantine coins!

 

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The "E" is actually Epsilon, a greek letter.

 

Pavlos, your 1st coin of Constantine I is an interesting selection. Your coin would date 312-313 CE, & it's interesting to see him this late with a full beard & mustache. Most Christians by this time were clean shaven. You can get translations of the inscriptions by Googling them. Attached below is the favorite Constantine I follis from my collection. The coin was struck 306-307 CE, & depicts him as a young Nob. Caesar with a very slight beard & mustache, Trier Mint, 27 mm, 9.50 gm.

 

Nice Constantine. My is from Siscia.

 

Here's what I found on OCRE for your coin :
http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.6.thes.61b?lang=en

 

Nice coin @Pavlos - welcome to the wonderful world of Constantine's coinage.

 

The OP coin has reference ID RIC VI Thessalonica 61b "c. 312-313."

The reason he has a beard is the mint was under the control of Licinius, not Constantine, and used a "portrait" more like that of Licinius, who sported the usual beard of the tetrarchs. Constantine broke with the norm by minting coins with an unbearded portrait, but this applied only at his own mints.

 

Justin Lee, there is a wealth of examples in that link.

 

Valentinian, that's an interesting fact. Of course, all the members of the Tetrarchy were anti-Christian & all actively pursued persecutions against Christians except Constantius I, father of Constantine the Great.

 

That was an excellent choice @Pavlos - well done!

That's interesting and something I did not know:

Here is my Licinius I and Constantine:

Licinius I (AD 308-324), Æ2 Follis (21.07mm, 3.9g).
Siscia mint, Officina 1, struck AD 315-316.
Obv: IMP LIC LICINIUS P F AVG, laureate head right.
Rev: IOVI CON_SERVATORI (to Jupiter the protector), Jupiter standing left, chlamys across left shoulder, holding Victory on globe offering wreath in right hand, long scepter vertical behind in left, eagle with wreath in beak at feet on left. A in right field, •SIS• in exergue.
RIC VII SISCIA 17


Constantine I (AD 307-337), Æ2 Follis (21.68mm, 3.7g).
Siscia mint, Officina 2, struck AD 315-316.
Obv: IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG, laureate head right.
Rev: IOVI CON_SERVATORI (to Jupiter the protector), Jupiter standing left, chlamys across left shoulder, holding Victory on globe offering wreath in right hand, long scepter vertical behind in left, eagle with wreath in beak at feet on left. B in right field, •SIS• in exergue.
RIC VII SISCIA 15

 

Excellent first coin Pavlos!.... this is my "best" Constantine .. I have many from uncleaned lots that have aided in my education but are not very good examples.
I am happy to own one with full legends and a good portrait.. it was a long time coming..



Constantine the Great
Struck 320AD
Obv: CONSTANTINVS AVG, laureate head right.
Rev: D N CONSTANTINI MAX AVG, VOT XX within wreath
Mintmark: Epsilon SIS sunburst
RIC VII Siscia, 180.

I really like the "Epsilon SIS sunburst" mintmark.. I find it amazing.

*if you slowly scroll through this thread (and any other Constantine thread) and compare the portraits you wonder what Constantine really looked like.. 30+ years and millions of coins struck display a wide range of images.

 

Very nice first choice for a Constantine!

Here's another one from Thessalonica, from the 'Filius Augusti' period (circa AD 309-310), issued a few years before the OP coin. Typical blocky Tetrarchic bearded portrait.


And a few years earlier than that, but from Trier with Constantine as Caesar, circa AD 306-307... sans beard and closer to the typical 'Constantinian' portrait.


My favorite is probably this one from Constantinople, circa AD 327-328.

 

ohhh...those are really nice Zumbly.. the Constantinople coin makes him look regal and intimidating at the same time. Great portrait!

 

You've got a good looking Constantine there Pavlos. My only Constantine is a follis minted in London around 310. Seller photo.

 

One of the most popular portrait styles of Constantine I is the "Heavenward Gaze". I don't know if this is a fanciful interpretation by modern collectors or if the celators did this intentionally, but supposedly this style portrait refers to the image Constantine saw the night before the battle at the Milvian Bridge, when he witnessed the image of the Chi-Rho in the heavens. Never the less, this style of portrait has always been popular & examples in gold bring astounding prices at auction. Below is a late bronze example I sold earlier this year.

 

Thank you everyone with the information and the beautiful coins, also very interesting about the beard story, that Licinius was anti-Christian and so he wanted the mints that he controlled to make the portrait with a beard.

I was only wondering, why did Licinius made this coin in the style of Constantine I then (with his inscription)? I found the exact same style follis for sale also minted in Thessallonica, but then the inscription is from Licinius and not from Constantine. It sounds much more logic to me that his name is on the coin when he controls the mint.

 

Nice Constantines, everybody. Here's a dead Constantine, his soul being greeted by the Hands of God.



Constantine I - Æ Follis
Posthumous Issue
(347-348 A.D.)
Antioch Mint
DV CONSTANTI-NVS PT AVGG. Veiled head right / Constantine in quadriga right, hands of God reaching down, star upper left; SMANS in ex.
RIC VIII, Antioch 37
(1.88 g. / 15 mm)

 

dadams, the portrait on your Constantine I follis is intriguing. The treatment of the hair, the large staring eye, & elongated eyebrow are reminiscent of archaic Greek art, & gives the portrait a strong sense of spirituality.

 

This posthumous issue is one of the greatest religious tributes given to Constantine I on a circulating coin.

 

Very nice first coin of Constantine! Here's my first coin of Constantine: