City Commemoratives

Issued 330-341

On 11 May 330 the city of Constantinople was finally dedicated. More than 5 years earlier Constantine I had ordered the ancient Greek city of Byzantium to be rebuilt for the new capital of the Roman Empire, and had named the "new" city after himself. This laid the foundation of the Byzantine empire, which survived the final fall of the western empire by another 1000 years. Series of coins were issued from 330-341 to commemorate the movement of the capital from Rome to Constantinople, and to recognize the city of Rome as the traditional center of the empire.

Constantinopolis


AE4
Obv:CONSTANTINOPOLIS or CONSTANTINOPOLI - Laureate, helmeted and cuirassed bust of Constantinople left, with scepter.
Rev:(anepigraphic) - Victory standing half-left on prow, with scepter and shield.
Ex: various mint-marks
Quite common, with a wide variety of styles on both sides.
VM.1

AE4 minted in Constantinople
Obv:CONSTANTINOPOLI - Laureate, helmeted and cuirassed bust of Constantinople left, with scepter.
Rev:GLORIA EXERCITVS - Two soldiers, standing either side of one standard.
Ex:CONSB
VM.7

Roma
AE4
Obv:VRBS ROMA - Laureate and cuirassed bust of Roma left wearing a visored helmet.
Rev:(anepigraphic) - She-wolf suckling twins Romulus and Remus. Two stars above, occasionally with a mark control between them.
Ex: various mint-marks
A common type, celebrating the city of Rome. The style of both obverse and reverse varies widely.
VM.2

AE4 minted in Heraclea
Obv:VRBS ROMA - Laureate and cuirassed bust of Roma left wearing a visored helmet, with a scepter.
Rev:GLORIA EXERCITVS - Two soldiers, standing either side of one standard.
Ex:SMHB
VM.8, LRBC1-941
AE4
Obv:VRBS ROMA - Laureate and cuirassed bust of Roma left wearing a visored helmet, with a scepter.
Rev:Wreath enclosing VOT / XX / MVLT / XXX
VM.11
Silver 1/3 Siliqua holed in ancient times
Obv:(anepigraphic) - Cuirassed bust of Roma right wearing a visored helmet.
Rev:(anepigraphic) - Large P, probably a Greek Rho?
The attribution as a commemorative of Rome is uncertain, but very probably as the bust type looks very much like the ubiquitous "Urbs Roma" and "Constantinopolis" commemoratives. According to JPC Kent, Scripta Nummaria (Essays Sutherland), 1978, p. 112: these tiny silver coins are "also from Constantinople, and seemingly covering a wide range of dates from the fourth to the sixth century, are a succession of small silver coins bearing a helmeted bust of Roma or Constantinopolis without accompanyhing legend, and on the reverse, the letters K, P, or R. The occasions of their issue and their interpretation are as yet unknown." A rare type, probably minted in Rome or Constantinople.

Commemoratives of the People of Rome

These coins celebrate the citizens of Rome - not just the people who lived in the city of Rome, but all of the citizens of the Empire. These series seem to come after the city commemoratives, and are believed to have been minted from 341-346.

 AE4 minted in Constantinople
Obv:POP ROMANVS - Laureate and draped bust of the "genius" or spirit of the Roman people, holding a cornucopia.
Rev:(anepigraphic) - Bridge with two towers, spanning a river. CONS and e above.
Possibly refers to the Milvian Bridge near Rome, the location of the battle between Constantine and his brother-in-law Maxentius, when Constantine saw the vision of the cross. This type was only minted in Constantinople.
VM.4
AE4 Minted in Constantinople
Obv:POP ROMANVS - Laureate and draped bust of the "genius" or spirit of the Roman people, holding a cornucopia.
Rev:Wreath enclosing a * and CONSA.
Fairly rare. This type is only found from Constantinople and Thessalonika.
VM.5

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All coins from the author's collection. Not a commercial site, these coins are not for sale.

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City Commemorative Coins
last modified: 7 Mar 2006