Owner Comments:
By the late 340s AD, the Roman Empire was gearing up for a staggering, once-in-a-lifetime milestone: the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Rome. While Constantine had successfully established Constantinople as the new center of gravity in the East, his surviving sons, Constantius II and Constans, recognized the immense political power of Rome's enduring legacy. To this end, in honor of the Eternal City's 1100th birthday in 348 AD, the sons of Constantine initiated sweeping coinage reforms.
Leading up to this massive anniversary overhaul, the mints revived the beloved VRBS ROMA and Constantinopolis city commemorative themes that Constantine had introduced nearly two decades earlier. However, while these new issues retained similar obverse designs, the reverses featured a dramatic departure from tradition, such as offering votive pledges instead of depicting the traditional she-wolf and twins motif.
This coin provides yet another fascinating example of a next-generation Constantinian city commemorative. The obverse features the helmeted and draped bust of Roma. Unlike previous city commemoratives issued by Constantine that featured Roma facing to the left encircled by the epithet VRBS ROMA, this issue struck by Constantius II and Constans breaks with tradition, depicting a right-facing bust and a simplified inscription of RO-MA. The update to the reverse design was even more radical. Instead of the she-wolf and twins, the reverse of this coin features a martial representation of the Eternal City's divine embodiment, known as Dea Roma (Divine Rome). Often overlapping visually with Virtus (the personification of martial valor), Dea Roma is shown standing in military dress, grasping a spear and resting a hand upon a grounded shield. Flanking the divine figure are the large, bold letters P - R. This abbreviation stands for Populus Romanus (The Roman People). Together, this combination of obverse and reverse imagery deliberately invokes a profound sense of pride and nostalgia for the Golden Age of Rome.
Beyond these striking design changes, this coin reportedly harbors another profound modification. It has been cited in modern numismatic literature, and is noted in elite auction catalogs, that this specific issue was struck not in bronze, but in brass. Known to the ancient Romans as
orichalcum, this premium alloy of copper and zinc was used at the genesis of the Roman Empire for large-format coins like the sestertius. However, by the end of the 2nd century AD, due to inflation and a rapid depletion of the zinc supply, the mints largely abandoned brass. Production switched to alloying copper with tin to make bronze, which was then typically mixed with a tiny trace amount of silver — a base-metal composition referred to as billon.
When freshly struck,
orichalcum eminates a brilliant, almost golden appearance. If Constantius II and Constans indeed managed to secure a rare cache of zinc during a time of extreme scarcity, it is deeply fitting that they would dedicate it to this coin. As a shining medalette, this coin provided a brilliant 1100th birthday tribute to the
Populus Romanus and a pledge for the return of a new Golden Age.
Additional Reading: "Coins and Medallions struck for the Inauguration of Constantinopolis 11 May 330," L. Ranskold, June 2010, Conference: Niš & Byzantium, Volume IX.
Coin Details, ROMAN EMPIRE, Constantinian, Commemorative series, 330-354 AD, Rome mint, BI numus? (Brass medalette?) (1.73g, 17 mm), NGC Grade: Ch VF, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 2/5, Obverse: Helmeted and draped bust of Roma right, Reverse: Virtus or Roma standing facing, head right, holding spear and resting left hand upon shield set on ground, P - R, References: RIC 104 (R4) corr. (Rome mint); Ramskold, Coins and medallions (2011), p. 139, fig. 7A-C.
Image: NGC Photo Vision Plus.