Constantinople Commemorative Coin

Our recent offering of the Roman Starter Collection was so well received we thought we would help our collectors add to it by offering coins of the famous Constantinian Dynasty. This important dynasty, named for its founder, stewarded the pagan-dominated empire from a Tetrarchy of four military men to a heavily Christianised one under one family. But this was by no means a smooth transition! Constantine I is the only Roman emperor called ‘the Great’. Born around A.D. 272 at Naissus (in modern Serbia) his father was Constantius I, one of the soldier emperors in the Tetrarchic system. On campaign in Britain the sick Constantius I died at York in A.D. 306 so the army proclaimed Constantine emperor. From A.D. 307 Constantine styled himself as ‘Augustus’ and slowly but surely became the sole ruler of the empire. Notably, at the Milvian Bridge in A.D. 312, he defeated Maxentius with a Christian symbol on his soldier’s shields, apparently given by God in a dream. As he aged Constantine left the old gods behind, becoming Christian, and this support shaped our modern world as Christianity in the medieval era was the common cause that united the West. He was baptised just before his death in A.D. 337 at roughly 65. Importantly for Britain, he struck the gold Solidus at 72 to the Roman pound, called a Libra. Librae, solidi, and the defunct denarii became pounds, shillings, and pence (£.s.d.). The coin presented here was made after A.D. 320 when Constantine moved away from pagan imagery. It shows a wreath and grades Very Fine. You can now add one of the most important Roman emperors to your collection! And if you already have a coin of him you might not have this type…

Continuing our series of the famous Constantinian Dynasty we offer Constans, the only son who certainly visited Britain. Born around A.D. 320, Constans was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. Following a short war with his brother, Constantine II, he survived and ruled the Western empire with Constantius II in the East. Constans even visited Britain in A.D. 343 by enduring the very dangerous crossing of the channel in mid-winter, campaigning against the Picts and Scots. This means Constans was the last legitimate Roman Emperor we know visited our shores. In A.D. 350 he was killed while on a hunting trip in Gaul by followers of the usurper Magnentius who went on to rule. We offer bronze coins struck between A.D. 342-348 with his bust on the obverse. The two Victories facing each other on the reverse symbolise military success for both Constans and his surviving brother, Constantius II. Here we offer them in Very Fine, we suspect they will sell out fast...

We bought these some time ago, but due to lack of space, we asked the dealer we bought them from to store them for us. He recently asked if we still wanted them? As we had already paid for them, we said yes and now you can own one of these fantastic display pieces at a lot less than is being asked elsewhere. You can take one or more coins or any other collectable, put it in this frame and it will appear to be floating in space. When we first saw it, it blew us away. This is the answer to displaying your coins or other collectables without damaging them. Using it is quite simple: you open the case, position your items where you want them, close the case and there they are – floating in space. If you want to replace the items, all you have to do is open the case, take the items out and replace them with a new coin. These were originally made to sell for £19.95, but the manufacturer never got around to advertising them. We bought them right, as is our plan, if we buy right we sell right. The outer case measures 13 x13 cm and the inner surface measures 10 x10 cm. Once you have seen one you will want to buy some. Remember, they are not just for coins you can display stamps, buttons, curios just about anything that you want.