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18-SEP-2005

Doug Smith

I has been a while since I have offered a coin photo so:
Commemorative on the death of Constantine the Great (Roman Emperor 307-337 AD) struck at the mint of Constantinople (CONS under horses) by his sons.
This coin has several points of 'Religious' interest.

Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to be a Christian and the last Emperor to be declared a god on his death (no inconsistancy in 337?).
The obverse legend of this coin reads:
DV CONSTANTINVS PT AVGG = Divus Constantinus Pater Augustorum = Divine Constantine fater of the Emperors
The reverse of this coin shows Constantine ascending into Heaven being greeted by the hand of God (the first depiction of God on a coin issued by Christians).
The portrait is shown wearing a shroud indicating the subject has deceased.

The coin is a very debased bronze/billon containing about 1% silver and has what collectors term an 'earthen patina' or surface with hard packed dirt remaining in the lower places. Higher spots have worn through to the green patina below. Most examples of this coin are more clear with the hand having five fingers but fine art is difficult on this scale. It is about 15mm in diameter. This image is uncropped but a combination of two exposures allowing the showing of both sides. Light was provided by two screw base fluorescent bulbs placed at the top of the coin and very near the lens. White balance was adjusted from the RAW to restore the neutral black background. The coin was positioned on a dowel rod set in a block of wood with a tin can circling it and producing a very black background. A small level adjustment was needed to make the background totally black but no 'magic wand' or other trimming was done.

Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel ,Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
0.80s f/11.0 at 135.0mm iso100 3 Kenko tubes full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
comment
Digital Rebels19-Sep-2005 09:58
Jim/Rick; Then, this would buy half to a whole loaf of bread more or less according to where you were just as today prices are different for some things in areas where they are produced than in big cities half a world away. I paid $10 for this one but have seen better for less and worse for more according to the whims of ebay. In both cases, inflation and recession were normal.
Rick19-Sep-2005 06:41
How much is it worth?
Nice and sharp picture.
Jim Thode19-Sep-2005 03:24
Doug,
What is the coin made of? And in 337, how many of there would it take to buy a loaf of bread or how many loafs of bread could a Roman buy with one?
Good detail.
Jim