330-340 AD Roman Empire AE3/4 Constantinian She Wolf & Twins NGC AU Copper Coin

 330-340  AD
Roman Empire
AE 3/4  (B1 Nummus)
Constantinian
Roma / She Wolf & Twins
NGC AU
 Bronze Coin
 

Country: Italy

Year: 330 - 340 AD

Series: Ancient

Grading Company: NGC Ancients

Coin Grade: AU

Certification Numbers: 6555731-033
Weight: 1.2 grams
Diameter: 1.4 cm
 

Information:

Struck during the transformative decades of the early 4th century AD, this bronze-billon nummus belongs to the celebrated Constantinian commemorative coinage issued circa AD 330-340, when Constantine I and his successors reshaped the Roman world. These small AE3/4 pieces were produced as the empire was reoriented around Constantinople, yet they deliberately invoked Rome’s deepest ancestral traditions. Few reverse types capture that historical tension more powerfully than the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus, a direct appeal to the legendary foundation myth of the Eternal City.

The obverse bears the helmeted and draped bust of Roma, the personification of Rome itself, facing left. The surrounding legend, though partly off flan and difficult to read in full from the piece, is the standard VRBS ROMA, translated as “City of Rome.” This was not the portrait of a living ruler, but an idealized civic image proclaiming the enduring prestige of the ancient capital. The reverse presents the famous she-wolf standing left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus, with two stars above. In the exergue appears the mintmark, reading as TRP, indicating the Trier mint. The type celebrates Rome’s mythic origins while the celestial stars above lend the design a commemorative and auspicious character, reinforcing the city’s divine favor and eternal destiny.

Certified AU by NGC Ancients, this example is an especially attractive representative of the type. The strike is pleasingly bold for the issue, with the she-wolf, twins, and stars well defined, and the Roma portrait remains identifiable despite the compact flan and typical limitations of the series. Surfaces are smooth and appealing, showing nice original cabinet toning in handsome silver-gray hues. The overall presentation is far superior to the often porous, weakly struck, or heavily worn survivors encountered for this popular Constantinian commemorative.

Inventory # LVS7031