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Any of the following emperors should be affordable. Depending on the grade you wish to purchase.

Constantine I
Constantine II
Constans
Constantius II
Valens
Constantius Gallus
Licinius

To name a few. Many of those coins have a lot of reverse designs that are quite interesting like;

FEL TEMP REPARATIO - The restoration of happy times.
SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE - Security of the republic.
GLORIA ROMANORVM - To the glory of Rome.
SALVS REIPVBLICAE - The health of the republic
PROVIDENTIAE CAESS - Foresight of the Caesars.
GLORIA EXERCITVS - Glory of the army.

And many many more. Nice variety of reverses to choose from, even for Constantine I coins alone.

If you try to figure out the value of ancient coins, you'll be baffled because they ain't priced like US or any other modern world coins. Sometimes the prices just don't make any sense at all. But you can still make your way. I have.

As far as moderation is concerned. I do a couple hours in the morning and at night. Occasionally, I spend most of the day reading. But this is not all the time. One thing to remember is that there is no way you'll ever learn it all. Not to mention the fact that there is also so much that is unknown. Discoveries are being made quite often even today.

A few months ago I traded a coin I thought was valueless to a dealer who saw something he needed for his personal collection, not to be resold. In exchage he told me to pick any coin in his on-line store for $50 or less. The coin I choose was the a Constantine I because of the condition. He had it for sale for the Swiss equivalent of $50. I've attached the image here. My point is that if you shop around you can find good deals even from major, honest, and reputable dealers. I think I have become well known on this discussion board for my frugality, so believe me when I say there are good deals if one chooses to "hunt" for them.





This second Constantine coin I was able to acquire for much less, under $15 including shipping. The detail is very good as well, and the green patina is beautiful.





I am putting together a list of coins I will be selling from my private collection. I am not a dealer and I plan to make no profit. My collection has many duplicates and coins that don't fit with my current strategies. So, if you, or anyone else for that matter, are interested, you can contact me via PM and I will send the list once I have it complete. I will guarantee every coins authenticity as well as a satisfaction money back guarantee. Geez, I'm even beginning to sound like a seller. Yuk!

Constantine I was the great. History states that just before the battle of the Malvian bridge in 312AD he had a dream or vision where the symbol of the CHI-RHO, Christogram appeared in the sky with the words IN HOC SIGNO VINCES ( With this sign you will conquer). He than ordered all the shields of his troops to marked with this sign, and he adopted his standard (labarum) with the sign. He won the battle and the rest is history. However during his life time, none of his coins were minted with the CHI-RHO. When his son Constantius II became emperor in 337 AD did the the CHI-RHO appear on the labarum.

PM stands for Private Message and I do have several Constantine I coins I will be selling.

I'm not so sure about Constantine's conversion to Christianity. I think he used the Christian "cult" to his advantage. If you read more about his life even after the battle at Malvian bridge. it doesn't read like the life of one of the faithful. Read about his relationship to his firstborn son Crispus. This might make you decide otherwise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crispus

I guess one can say a different time and different mindset.

There are so many interesting coins with interesting history you will never run out of things to research. Great hobby! My only problem is that no one in my household or circle of friends is interested. I'd love to show these coins off to someone who cares. Again, PM me by clicking on my name and sending me a message.

Jwharper,

I'm sorry but I don't have a good scanner to scan coins. I want so badly to scan coins to show here. I've tried to use the camera on my phone but the photos are not that good. Sorry. I am working on it.

jwharper,

Sorry man, but I was told that if I attempt to contact you via PM, they'd lock my account! Tried it once, can't again. I guess Gil-galad you were right on. I'll have to get my post count up to 50 first. Too bad I had written a book jwharper! Still interested in your duplicates though.
Again thanks to all for your great advice guys. Bacchus2, I did go to Vcoins and found a couple sites that had Biblical coins that were not as expensive as some as I've seen. I guess I'm naive enough to try the unclean coin thing, just to see what they look like and understand the process of cleaning them. Should be fun and I'm not going to spend too much to do so.
As to Constantine 1 vs the Great, that's good to know. However jwharper, I knew that Constantine's Christianity was questionable at best. I believe he was baptized on his death bed. There were three different 'sun (son)' worshipers in the Empire and by allowing them to worship on Sunday helped legitimize the underground church. I think he also gave the slaves a break and allowed them to rest on Sunday too. He did away with crucifiction I believe. All good things. However I did read about his son Chrispus, although I think his wife Fausta might have had something to do with that relationship. Yes politics most certainly played a part in what Constantine did (I don't think any of Emperor's were saints), but he was a starting point in a legitimate, above ground church, whether you believe in an organized religion or not. All that said as to why I would like to collect some ancients from his era. I really love the history of this period (165BC to 325AD). Not just in a religious context either. By touching a coin that roamed that area during those years would just connect me that history even more!
So much information....so little time! Thanks again guys, your great!

Understand. Thank you.