★ An extremely rare solidus of Constantine I from the collections of Leo Biaggi de Blasys and R. Jameson ★

Constantine I, 307/310-337. Solidus (Gold, 19 mm, 4.62 g, 5 h), Thessalonica, 324. CONSTANT-INVS P F AVG Laureate head of Constantine I to right. Rev. VICTOR OMN-IVM GENTIVM / SMTSЄ Constantine I, laureate, standing front in military attire, head to left, holding signum in his right hand and resting his left on shield set on ground; before to left, two figures kneeling right in supplication with their hands raised towards the emperor; behind to right, bound barbarian captive seated right, head turned back to left. Biaggi 2003 ( this coin ). Depeyrot 10/5E ( this coin ). Jameson 354 ( this coin ). RIC 135.Є ( this coin ). Extremely rare. A wonderful example of this prestigious issue, surely one of the finest known examples. Extremely fine.

From the collection of a retired senior air force officer, Leu 7, 24-25 October 2020, 1733 (illustrated on the front cover!), ex Numismatica Genevensis 8, 24 November 2014, 137 and from the collections of Leo Biaggi de Blasys (1906-1979) and R. Jameson (1861-1942). The early 320s witnessed a series of decisive military victories by Constantine and his family. First, his eldest son, Crispus, achieved a resounding success by defeating the Franks and Alemanni on the Rhine frontier. This victory was followed by Constantine's own triumphs over the Sarmatians and Goths on the Danube frontier in 322 and 323. In celebration of these achievements, Constantine adopted the titles Sarmaticus Maximus and issued a series of coins that celebrated his victories. The present issue, struck in Thessalonica (where Constantine had resided since 322), praises him as the 'defeater of all peoples', reviving a title he had first assumed ten years earlier. Constantine's recent military successes significantly strengthened his position, and the renewed title was not only a mark of his accomplishments but also a pointed reference to Licinius I, who had failed to defend the Danube frontier and lost the Balkan province - except for Thrace - to Constantine just a few years earlier.