This ancient Roman coin was minted between 330-348 AD in commemoration of the founding of the city of Constantinople. The coin features an image of Constantinopolis helmeted on the obverse. The reverse side depicts the goddess Victory riding on the prow of a boat holding a scepter and a shield.

Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first emperor to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea (now Niš, Serbia), he was the son of Flavius Constantius, a Roman army officer of Illyrian origin who had been one of the four rulers of the Tetrarchy. His mother, Helena, was a Greek woman of low birth and a Christian. Later canonised as a saint, she is traditionally credited for the conversion of her son.

Constantine served with distinction under the Roman emperors Diocletian and Galerius. He began his career by campaigning in the eastern provinces (against the Persians) before being recalled in the west (in AD 305) to fight alongside his father in the province of Britannia.

After his father's death in 306, Constantine was acclaimed as augustus (emperor) by his army at Eboracum (York, England). He eventually emerged victorious in the civil wars against emperors Maxentius and Licinius to become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire by 324.

This is a fascinating coin and is a must-have for any serious collector of ancient Roman artifacts.

C28