Constantine I 306 - 337 A.D.
| Coin Description | Constantine I The Great, AE 19mm, Grade ??, silvered bronze (tiny pieces of silvering can still be seen), VM 79, RIC VII Thessalonica 117, RBC 305. |
| Obverse | The portrait is of Constantine a laureate bust facing right. The legend reads CONSTANTINVS AVG meaning: CONSTANTINVS (his name) AVG Augustus which defines him as being the emperor. The legend is broken which is a sign of the highest respect and signifies him as the senior Augustus |
| Reverse |
The reverse shows a wreath with a * at the top and the letters VOT XX
which translates as: Votis XX which means vows for a succesfull reign
of 20 years.This derives from the Roman custom of offering vows of a certain
sacrifice to the Gods in return for the granting of some favor or wish.
During his reign, the emperor would offer vows to safeguard the people
and the state for a certain period. When the end of this period was reached
(in this case 20 years his Vicennalia) he would make the sacrifices in
fulfillment of those vows. The vows were usually a money sacrifice paid
to the pagan gods. (note that
they only paid on delivery of the goods |
| Mint | The exergue reads TSAVI meaning TS for the Thessalonica mint A stands for the 1st workshop (alpha) VI is a sequence mark. |
| The Entire Story | The entire story of this coin would read: Constantine the Great Augustus promises vows for a successfull reign of twenty years. |
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