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
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