Obverse: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG;
Laureate, Draped, and Cuirassed Bust of
the Emperor Facing Right
Reverse: IOVI CONSERVATORI; Jupiter
Standing to the Left, Holding Victory on
a Globe, Eagle at his Feet to the Left
Constantine I, called Constantine the
Great, was the first Roman ruler to be
converted to Christianity. He was the
founder of Constantinople (present-day
Istanbul), which remained the capital of
the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire
until 1453. Constantine the Great
unified a tottering empire, reorganized
the Roman state, and set the stage for
the final victory of Christianity at the
end of the 4th century. Many modern
scholars accept the sincerity of his
religious conviction. His conversion was
a gradual process; at first he probably
associated Christ with the victorious
sun god. By the time of the Council of
Nicaea (325), however, he was completely
Christian, but still tolerated paganism
among his subjects. Although criticized
by his enemies as a proponent of a crude
and false religion, Constantine the
Great strengthened the Roman Empire and
ensured its survival in the East. As the
first emperor to rule in the name of
Jesus Christ, he was a major figure in
the foundation of medieval Christian
Europe.
How many hands have touched a coin in
your pocket or purse? What eras and
lands have the coin traversed on its
journey into our possession? As we reach
into our pockets to pull out some
change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before
us, or where the coin will venture to
after it leaves our hands. More than
money, coins are a symbol of the state
that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary
currencies or artifacts of a long
forgotten empire. This stunning hand-
struck coin reveals an expertise of
craftsmanship and intricate sculptural
detail that is often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies.
This ancient coin is a memorial to the
Emperor Constantius the Great, passed
from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from generation to
generation that still appears as vibrant
today as the day it was struck.
- (C.4643)
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