Description
Country or authority: Roman Empire, under Constantine I
Year or date range: Circa AD 330–337; AD 330–335 provisionally preferred
Denomination: Nummus
Composition: Copper alloy, conventionally described as bronze for this type; composition untested
Ruler or portrait: Constantine I period; portrait of Constantinopolis, the city personification, not the emperor
Mint or mintmark: Antioch; SMANI probably, indicating the tenth officina
Catalogue references: Provisional (unverified): RIC VII, Antioch 92
Obverse description: CONSTAN[TI]NOPOLIS, with letters at the top weak. Bust of Constantinopolis facing left, wearing a crested helmet and ornamental mantle, with a sceptre over the left shoulder. Wreath detail on the helmet is indistinct.
Reverse description: No surrounding legend. Winged Victory standing left, right foot on a ship’s prow, holding a long transverse sceptre and resting her left hand on a shield at the right. Exergue reads SMAN[I?]. No separate field marks are discernible.
Description and condition notes: Constantinopolis commemorative issue with Victory-on-prow reverse. Dark surfaces with patchy green deposits, reddish exposed areas, surface roughness and wear on raised details. Irregular flan; Victory’s head approaches the upper edge.
