Constantinople coinage

       In A.D. 324, a second civil war broke out between Constantine and Licinius.They fought a battle at Adrianople, with the defeat of Licinius. Licinius fled to Byzantium. Crispus attacked the fleet of Licinius and won a brilliant naval victory. Licinius was put to death in 325 and Constantine became the sole ruler of the Roman empire. Byzantium was renamed Constantinople and work was started on it to transform it into the new capitol of the Roman empire. Hundreds and hundreds of people were working in the city. Coinage was started with the common campgate, but quickly a new series of coinage was minted to pay the workers; but these coins also had a message.

      “Four entirely new types were created for Constantine, GLORIA EXERCITVS, GLORIA ROMANORVM, LIBERTAS PVBLICA, and SPES PVBLIC…Here the reverses record a summing up of the Civil War II, the glory of the army constituting the glory of the Empire, the death of the tyrant (SPES PVBLIC) granting liberty for all.” RIC VII pg 567.

      So the first reason that Constantinople issued these coins was to celebrate the defeat of Licinius. The second reason was much more practical. There were many workers in the new city being built, transforming it into a capitol worthy to represent the ruler of the Roman Empire. These workers had to be paid, and there were a lot of them, so new coins needed to be minted. According to Jordanes, a Roman bureaucrat who lived during the sixth century, many Goths also helped Constantine and they would have required money. “In like manner it was the aid of the Goths that enabled him to build the famous city that is named after him, the rival of Rome, inasmuch as they entered into a truce with the Emperor and furnished him forty thousand men to aid him against various peoples.”

These commemorative coins culminated in the fifth type, also only issued for Constantine-- CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE

Constantine I A.D. 326-327 Ӕ nummus  19mm    3.4g CONSTAN-TINVS AVG; Laureate head right. PROVIDEN-TIAE AVGG; camp gate, two turrets, no doors, • in archway, ✶ above; in left field A. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople 7
Crispus A.D. 326 Ӕ nummus  19mm    2.7g CRISPVS NOB CAES; Laureate head right. PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS; camp gate, two turrets, no doors, • in archway, ✶ above; in left field B. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople 8
Constantine I A.D. 326 18mm     2.4gm Anepigraphic: laureate head right. CONSTAN/TINVS/AVG in three lines; wreath above. In ex. CONSA RIC VII Constantinople 13
Constantine I A.D. 327 Ӕ nummus  19mm    3.3gm CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; laureate head right. GLORIA ROMANORVM; Roma seated on a shield, holding a long sceptre, Victory on a globe in right hand, A in left field. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople 17 Ex-Peter Weiß
Constantine I circa A.D. 327 19mm    3.2g CONSTN-S NN✠ AVG; laureate head right. GLORIV RO-MANORVM; Roma seated on a shield, holding a long sceptre, Victory on a globe in right hand. in ex. CONS cf. RIC VII Constantinople 17 Rare unofficial issue copying a GLORIA ROMANORVM from Constantinople
Constantine I A.D. 327 Ӕ nummus  19mm   2.6g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; laureate head right SPES PVBLIC; chi-rho atop standard of 3 medallions impaling snake, in left field A. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople 19
Constantine I A.D. 327-8 Ӕ nummus  18mm   3.1g  CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; rosette diademed head right. GLORIA EXERCITVS; Soldier holding reversed spear in right, left hand on shield, Γ in left field.  in ex. CONS  RIC VII Constantinople 22
Constantine I A.D. 327-8 Ӕ nummus  18x19mm   3.2g   CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; rosette diademed head right. GLORIA EXERCITVS; Soldier holding reversed spear in right, left hand on shield S in left field.  in ex. CONS   RIC VII Constantinople 22 Ex-Peter Weiß
Constantine I A.D. 327-8  Ӕ nummus  20mm    3.0g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; rosette diademed head right  LIBERTAS PVBLICA; Victory standing left on galley, wreath in both hands; in left field B. in ex. CONS       RIC VII Constantinople 25
Constantine I A.D. 328 18mm    3.3g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; head with rosette-diadem facing right. CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; Δ in left.  in ex. CONS       RIC VII Constantinople 30
Constantine I A.D. 328 Ӕ nummus 21mm 3.2g Anepigraphic: diademed head, looking up to heavens CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; A in left field. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople—
Constantine I A.D. 328 Ӕ nummus  21mm    3.2g Anepigraphic: head with rosette diadem, looking up to heavens CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; E in left field. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople—
Constantine I A.D. 328 21mm 3.3g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; head with rosette diademed, looking up to heavens CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory, E in left field. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople 32
Constantine I A.D. 328 Ӕ nummus  20mm     3.7g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG rosette diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right, with left shoulder raised up. CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; Δ in left. in ex. CONS   RIC VII Constantinople 35 bust variation
Constantine I A.D. 328 Ӕ nummus    21mm    3.4g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG rosette diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right, with left shoulder raised up. CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; Z in left. in ex. CONS   RIC VII Constantinople 35
Constantine I A.D. 328- 329 Ӕ nummus  20mm 3.2g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; E in left. in ex. CONS✶ RIC VII Constantinople 38
Constantine I A.D. 329 -330 20mm 3.5g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; rosette diademed, dr. and cuir. bust right. CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; B in left field. in ex. CONS• RIC VII Constantinople – The author of RIC, Patrick Bruun, mentions this coin in the footnotes-- "Some coins not with star but with dot in exergue, the dot most likely intended for a star." However, these coins are known from all the workshops and must be a separate issue after RIC VII Constantinople 38
Constantine I circa A.D. 330 20mm    3.1g CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG; Rosette-diademed head right, with slight drapery on left shoulder. S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI; Victory standing front, head to left, holding wreath in her right hand and palm frond in her left. In ex. CONSA RIC VII Constantinople – unique example which copies a denarius of Trajan
Constantine I A.D. 330-3 17x19mm   2.4g CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards. in ex. CONSB RIC VII Constantinople 59
Constantine I A.D. 336- 337 Ӕ nummus 15x16mm 1.5g CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS•; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them one standard. in ex. CONSΔ RIC VII Constantinople 149
Constantinopolis A.D. 330-333 17x19mm    2.4g Obv. CONSTAN-TINOPOLI laureate, helmeted, wearing imperial mantle, holding scepter. Rev. Victory stg. on prow, holding long scepter in r. hand, and resting l. hand on shield. in ex. CONSIA RIC VII Constantinople 63