Constantine's 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.

This is a type set of bronze coins with his portrait, so I don't include commemoratives.

The first coins issued were the campgates




Constantine I
A.D. 326-327
AE nummus 19mm 3.4g
CONSTAN-TINVS AVG; Laureate head right.
PROVIDEN-TIAE AVGG; camp gate, two turrets, no doors, • in archway, star above; in left field A.
in ex. CONS
RIC VII Constantinople 7


the next type was a series of anepigraphic (no obverse legend) dynastic bronzes issued for all the family in all the mints of the Empire




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


Next were some coin reverse only issued for Constantine-- "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.




Constantine I
A.D. 327
AE 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


This next coin is the only bronze coin of this period with a Chi-Rho as part of the design rather than a decoration on a helmet or shield. The snake is likely a reference to Licinius, as Constantine used the dragon/serpent symbolism to specifically describe Licinius--

"Like some wild beast, or a twisting snake coiling up on itself." Eusebius Vita Constantini Book 2,Chapter 1.2.




Constantine I
A.D. 327
AE 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


a some point during the striking of these four types, Constantine made a choice to stop being portrayed with the pagan laurel headdress and starting using the kingly diadem. Philostorgius said that Constantine began wearing the diadem as a sign "of his sole rule and Victory over opponents."

So the rest of Constantine's coinage depicts him as diademed; but the Caesars are still laureate.




Constantine I
A.D. 327-8
AE nummus 18mm 3.1g
CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; rosette diademed head right.
GLORIA EXERCITVS; Soldier holding reversed spear in right, left hand on shield, gamma in left field.
in ex. CONS
RIC VII Constantinople 22


and this coin is alluding to the naval victory and capture of Byzantium



Constantine I
A.D. 327-8
AE 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


and another new type only struck for Constantine-- CONSTANTINIA DAFNE. This might be best translated as "Constantinian Victory" since the Greek word for laurel is daphne, and laurel wreaths were signs of victory.

One of the bust types for the DAFNE series was the "eyes to heavens"

"How deeply his soul was impressed by the power of divine faith may be understood from the circumstance that he directed his likeness to be stamped on the golden coin of the empire with eyes uplifted as in the posture of prayer to God: and this money became current throughout the Roman world." (Eusebius IV.15)




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


This next coin is a unique specimen which copies a denarius of Trajan; whom Constantine admired.




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 -


and we end with the common soldiers with standards




Constantine I
A.D. 336- 337
AE 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. CONSdelta
RIC VII Constantinople 149