Celebrating the 1000th anniversary of Byzantium
Lot 2780
Constantine I, 307/310-337. Siliqua (Silver, 19 mm, 2.33 g, 7 h), celebrating the 1000th anniversary of Byzantium. Constantinopolis, 333-334. Laurel-and-rosette-diademed head of Constantine I to right. Rev. CONSTANT-INVS AVG / CONSA Victory advancing left, holding wreath in her right hand and palm frond in her left; in field to left, M. Ramskold, Silver emissions (2018), p. 152, fig. 2A (this coin, emission 5). RIC VII Addenda p. 719, 131A. RSC 97m. Of the highest rarity, one of only two known examples from this officina. Somewhat rough and with minor scratches on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.


From the collection of Dr. L. Ramskold, formed since 1969.


This extremely rare piece belongs to emission 5 of Ramskold, Silver emissions (2018) - the so-called Byzantion Millennium emission. Ramskold proposed that this emission was struck to celebrate the 1,000 year anniversary of the founding of Byzantium. According to the date given by Herodotos, the millennium would take place in 333. Based on internal evidence such as hairstyle, the emission can be independently dated to circa 333 as well. Ramskold suggested that the M in the reverse field is the Roman numeral for 1,000, marking the coins as a millennial celebration emission.

Curiously, on this coin, the officina letter in the exergue resembles an H. However, as there is not a single other silver coin known from officina H in Constantinopolis from the reign of Constantine, it is more probable that the letter is a poorly crafted A.
Starting price:
200 CHF
Hammer price:
4600 CHF
Bid increment:
Closed
Minimum bid:
Closed
Number of bids:
Time left:
Closing time: 13-Mar-23, 17:52:00 CET
All winning bids are subject to an 18.5% buyer's fee.

Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your online experience. By using our website, you accept our data privacy policy and the use of cookies.
Cart
Disconnected

Connection lost

It seems that your connection to our website's real-time data has been lost. Please check your network connection and try again. If your connection is not stable, you may experience difficulties using our website. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.