Constantine I, 307/310-337. Follis (Silvered bronze, 20 mm, 2.67 g, 10 h), Constantinopolis, 327. CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG Laureate head of Constantine I to right.
Rev. SPES - PVBLIC / CONS Labarum, with three medallions on drapery and surmounted by Christogram, piercing a serpent winding to right; in field to left, A. Ramskold, A treatise on Constantine's SPES PVBLIC coins, JNG 69 (2020), -. RIC 19. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A beautifully preserved example with light silvering and very attractive surfaces. Minor areas of weakness
, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.
From a European collection, formed before 2005.
One of the most celebrated coin types of Late Antiquity is Constantine’s SPES PVBLIC reverse, showing a labarum with a Christogram piercing a serpent. Traditionally, this has been seen as the first overtly Christian coin, referring to Constantine’s victory over the pagan Licinius, an interpretation reinforced by Eusebius, who describes a palace painting of the emperor spearing a serpent beneath a heavenly symbol (Vita Constantini 3.3).
Recent scholarship has cast doubt on this straightforward reading. Ramskold (2020) argues that viewing the type as explicitly Christian repeats Eusebius’ construction of Constantine as an ideal Christian ruler. In reality, the imagery is ambiguous: while Christians could interpret the Christogram as a religious emblem, it functioned more broadly as Constantine’s personal victory symbol. The labarum, too, was his imperial standard, later reused by his successors as a dynastic emblem rather than a statement of faith.
The serpent, moreover, carried mixed connotations: in pagan culture it could represent both healing and protection, but also chaos and destruction, as in Apollo’s slaying of Python or the infant Hercules strangling serpents sent by Hera. This polyvalence allowed Constantine’s message to resonate with both pagans and Christians - the emperor, blessed by the divine, conquers the empire’s enemies.
Intriguingly, Ramskold shows that the SPES PVBLIC coins were later withdrawn, though the reason remains unclear. Pagan opposition, Christian sensitivities, or political expediency may all have played a role, leaving us with one of Constantine’s most enigmatic coin types.
