Crispus, Caesar, 316-326. Solidus (Gold, 20 mm, 4.53 g, 12 h), Nicomedia, 324-325. FL IVL CRIS-PVS NOB CAES Laureate bust of Crispus to left, heroically nude, wearing balteus around neck and holding spear in his right hand and shield in his left. Rev. VIRTVS CAESARI N / SMNM Caesar on horseback galloping right, holding spear in his right hand and shield in his left, riding down an enemy kneeling to left; below horse, a fallen enemy and a shield. Depeyrot 35/6. Numismatica Ars Classica 102 (2017), 585. RIC 84-5 var. (unlisted officina). Very rare. A wonderful piece with intriguing iconography, issued shortly before the downfall of Constantine's oldest son. Minor marks and light scratches and with a minor die break on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.



Crispus’ descent from Constantine’s little-known first wife (or concubine?) Minervina did not hinder his rise to prominence. Born around 300, he was the emperor’s eldest son and thus of great dynastic importance at a time when the child of Constantine’s rival Licinius was still an infant. Elevated to the rank of Caesar on 1 March 317, Crispus was dispatched to Gaul, where he successfully repelled Frankish and Alemannic incursions. During the civil war of 324 he commanded Constantine’s fleet and defeated Licinius’ admiral Amandus (or Abandus) at the Battle of the Hellespont, securing naval supremacy and opening Asia to invasion.

This magnificent solidus vividly reflects Crispus’ military reputation. The obverse presents him in a striking heroic bust, half-nude with a spear and a shield, while the reverse depicts a victorious Caesar on horseback riding down two foes. Yet the legend VIRTVS CAESS N ('the valour of our Caesars') makes clear that the type was not dedicated to Crispus alone but celebrated the imperial Caesares collectively - Crispus together with his younger half-brothers Constantine II and Constantius II. This is further confirmed by the fact that the same reverse die was also used for solidi of Constantine II (Depeyrot 35/7), though without the heroic military bust - an image hardly suitable for a boy of six, but entirely fitting for a successful general like Crispus.

Despite his military successes and prominence, Crispus’ career ended abruptly in 326, when he and his stepmother Fausta were executed on charges of adultery. Condemned to damnatio memoriae, his name was erased from public records, but coins such as this remain rare testimony to the brilliant yet tragic career of Constantine’s eldest son.