Constantine I 306 - 337 A.D.
Coin Description | Constantine I The Great, AE 17mm, Grade ??, The coin is well centered the surface is a bit pitted and the obverse has a few small "rust" spots on the portrait, the detail on the soldiers on the reverse is pretty well preserved, RBC 365, VM 93, RIC VII Siscia 219 |
Obverse | The portrait is of Constantine a diademed, draped and cuirassed bust facing right. The legend reads CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG meaning: CONSTANTINVS (his name) MAX (Maximvs = The Greatest ofcourse meaning Constantine to be the highest ranking individual in the empire and his nickname) AVG Augustus which defines him as the emperor. The legend is broken which is a sign of the highest respect and signifies him as the senior Augustus |
Reverse | Two soldiers standing on either side of two military standards, each holding a spear and leaning on a shield. The legend reads GLORIA EXERCITVS which translates as "Glory of the Army" or "Glory to the Army". |
Mint | The exergue reads εSIS ε stands for the fifth officina (epsilon) of the SIS (Siscia) mint. |
The Entire Story | The entire story of this coin would read: Constantine the Great(est) Augustus who honors the army. |