Vrbs Roma Constantinople Mint: The Coin That Celebrated Rome’s Eternal Legacy (330–335 AD)

What Is the Vrbs Roma Coin and Why Does It Matter?

The Vrbs Roma Constantinople mint coin is a small bronze follis struck between 330 and 335 AD that carries enormous historical weight. It was issued specifically to celebrate the dedication of Constantinople — Constantine the Great’s magnificent new imperial capital — and its reverse design, showing the legendary she-wolf nursing the twins Romulus and Remus, was a deliberate act of political mythology-making. In short, this little coin was Rome’s way of telling the world that even as the empire’s heart moved east, its soul remained rooted in the eternal founding story of the city on the Tiber.

Imagine holding something in the palm of your hand that a Roman soldier, merchant, or senator once carried through the streets of a city that was, at that very moment, reshaping the entire known world. That is exactly what the Vrbs Roma coin offers. It is not just currency — it is a miniature monument, a bronze declaration of imperial intent minted at the precise hinge point between ancient Rome and what would eventually become the Byzantine Empire. Few artifacts from classical antiquity manage to pack so much history into such a compact form, and that is precisely why collectors and historians alike continue to be captivated by it nearly 1,700 years after it was struck.

The Vrbs Roma Constantinople Mint: A City Born in Ambition

To truly appreciate the Vrbs Roma Constantinople mint coin, you need to understand the staggering ambition behind the city that produced it. On May 11, 330 AD, Constantine I formally dedicated his new capital on the site of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople — literally, “the city of Constantine.” This was not a modest administrative reshuffling. Constantine poured the resources of an empire into transforming a strategically positioned peninsula on the Bosphorus into a city designed to rival and ultimately surpass Rome itself.

Historians have found that Constantine’s decision to establish a new capital was driven by a combination of military pragmatism, economic calculation, and personal vanity on a truly imperial scale. The eastern frontier demanded closer imperial attention, trade routes from Asia and the Black Sea converged at Byzantium’s natural harbor, and — perhaps most importantly — Constantine wanted a city that was entirely his own, unburdened by Rome’s entrenched senatorial aristocracy and its old religious traditions. As historian Adrian Goldsworthy notes in his biography of Constantine, the new capital was conceived as a Christian city from its very foundations, even as its coinage deliberately borrowed the pagan imagery of Rome’s mythological past.

The mint established at Constantinople became one of the most productive and symbolically important in the entire Roman monetary system. What the records reveal is that the Constantinople mint used a series of distinctive mintmarks — most commonly CONS, CONSA, CONSB, and so on through multiple officinae (workshop divisions) — that allow numismatists today to identify exactly where and approximately when a coin was struck. The Vrbs Roma series was produced across multiple mints simultaneously, but coins bearing Constantinople’s mintmark carry a special resonance: they were made in the very city whose birth they were celebrating.

For more on the historical geography of Constantinople and its founding, the Encyclopaedia Britannica’s entry on Constantinople provides an excellent overview of the city’s origins and imperial significance.

Romulus, Remus, and the She-Wolf: Decoding the Reverse Design

The reverse of the Vrbs Roma coin is where the real storytelling happens. Depicted in crisp bronze relief is the Lupa Romana — the she-wolf of Rome — standing protectively over the infant twins Romulus and Remus as they nurse beneath her. Above the scene, two stars float in the sky, representing divine favor and celestial blessing. The legend surrounding the image simply reads VRBS ROMA, Latin for “the city of Rome,” making the coin’s purpose unmistakably clear.

This imagery was ancient even by Constantine’s standards. The legend of Romulus and Remus — the twin sons of the war god Mars, abandoned on the banks of the Tiber, suckled by a she-wolf, and destined to found the greatest city in the world — had been a cornerstone of Roman civic identity for centuries. Archaeological evidence shows that depictions of the Lupa Romana appeared on Roman coins, sculptures, and public monuments going back to at least the third century BC, making it one of the most enduring symbols in all of Western art and political imagery.

So why did Constantine choose this particular image for a coin celebrating his brand-new eastern capital? The answer lies in the political genius of the gesture. By stamping Constantinople’s mint with the founding myth of Rome, Constantine was making a bold claim: his new city was not a replacement for Rome but its legitimate continuation and heir. The two stars above the she-wolf reinforced this message, evoking the divine ancestry of the twins and, by extension, the divine mandate of the emperor who was building their spiritual successor city. It was propaganda of the highest order — subtle, beautiful, and extraordinarily effective.

The Companion Coin: CONSTANTINOPOLIS

It is worth noting that the Vrbs Roma coin was issued alongside a companion piece bearing the legend CONSTANTINOPOLIS, which depicted a helmeted bust of the city’s personification on the obverse and a Victory standing on a prow on the reverse. The two coins were designed as a matched pair, one honoring old Rome and one celebrating the new, and they were struck together across the empire’s mints from 330 AD onward. Collecting both is a goal many ancient coin enthusiasts aspire to, as together they tell the complete story of Constantine’s imperial vision.

Vrbs Roma Constantinople Mint Coin: Design, Mintmarks, and Specifications

For collectors and history enthusiasts wanting to understand exactly what they are looking at when they encounter one of these coins, the following table breaks down the key characteristics of the Vrbs Roma Constantinople mint issue compared to other major mint productions of the same series.

The obverse of the coin features a helmeted bust of Roma — the divine personification of the city — facing left and wearing a crested helmet, a depiction that echoes the imagery of Athena/Minerva and lends the coin a martial, divine gravitas. This is not a portrait of any living emperor; it is the face of Rome herself, timeless and unconquerable.

Constantine the Great and the Politics of Coinage

Constantine I, who ruled as sole emperor from 324 to 337 AD, understood the power of coinage as political communication better than almost any ruler before or after him. In an era before mass media, coins were the most widely distributed objects in the Roman world — they passed through millions of hands, crossed every border, and carried their messages into the most remote corners of the empire. Archaeological evidence shows that Constantinian bronzes have been recovered from sites as far apart as Britain, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, testament to the reach of the imperial monetary system.

The decision to issue the Vrbs Roma series in 330 AD was timed precisely to coincide with the formal dedication of Constantinople. According to David Potter’s authoritative work Constantine the Emperor (Oxford University Press, 2013), Constantine used the occasion to stage elaborate ceremonies that deliberately echoed the ancient foundation rites of Rome itself, complete with processions, games, and the distribution of largesse to the populace. The coins were part of this carefully orchestrated spectacle of legitimacy.

What the records reveal about the broader Constantinian coinage program is a consistent pattern of using numismatic imagery to bridge old and new — honoring traditional Roman religious and mythological symbols even as Constantine personally championed Christianity. The Vrbs Roma coin sits at exactly this intersection, invoking pagan founding mythology in service of an emperor who was simultaneously building the first great Christian capital city. It is a fascinating contradiction that speaks volumes about the complex, transitional nature of the early fourth-century Roman world.

You can explore more about the broader context of late Roman imperial coinage at the American Numismatic Society’s online collections, which holds extensive resources on Roman bronzes of the Constantinian period.

For more background on how Roman emperors used visual culture to project power, be sure to read our article on Roman imperial propaganda and the art of persuasion.

Collecting the Vrbs Roma Coin Today

One of the most remarkable things about the Vrbs Roma series is that it remains genuinely accessible to collectors at almost every budget level. Because these coins were produced in enormous quantities across at least 12 active mints simultaneously, the supply on the modern market is relatively healthy. A decent example in Fine to Very Fine condition can often be acquired for between $20 and $80 USD, while exceptional specimens with sharp strikes, full legends, and attractive patina can command $150 to $300 or more. Coins from the Constantinople mint specifically tend to attract a premium due to their symbolic significance as products of the founding city itself.

The question of coin slabbing — encapsulating ancient coins in certified holders from services like NGC Ancients or PCGS — is one that divides the ancient numismatics community. Purists often prefer coins that can be handled and examined freely, arguing that encapsulation removes the tactile connection to antiquity that makes ancient coin collecting so special. Pragmatists, on the other hand, point out that professional grading and authentication provide important protections against the very real problem of forgeries, which are unfortunately common in the ancient coin market. For a particularly fine example of a Vrbs Roma Constantinople mint coin, certification can also significantly enhance resale value and buyer confidence.

When examining a Vrbs Roma coin, collectors should pay particular attention to the sharpness of the she-wolf and twins on the reverse — this is often the first area to show weakness in a poorly struck or worn example — as well as the clarity of the mintmark in the exergue. A fully legible CONS mintmark is essential for confidently attributing a coin to the Constantinople workshop. The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) reference series, volume VII, is the standard scholarly catalog for attributing these coins, and most serious collectors keep a copy close at hand.

If you are just beginning your journey into ancient Roman numismatics, our guide on how to start collecting Roman coins as a beginner is a great place to start.

Why the Vrbs Roma Constantinople Mint Coin Still Captivates Us

There is something almost magical about the way a small bronze disc struck nearly 1,700 years ago can connect us so viscerally to one of history’s great turning points. The year 330 AD was not just another year in the Roman calendar — it was the year the center of gravity of Western civilization began its long, slow shift eastward, a movement that would ultimately produce the Byzantine Empire and shape the entire trajectory of medieval European and Middle Eastern history.

The Vrbs Roma Constantinople mint coin captures this moment with extraordinary economy. On one side, the eternal face of Roma, helmeted and resolute. On the other, the primal founding myth of the wolf, the twins, and the stars — a story that Romans had been telling themselves for over a thousand years by the time these coins were struck. Together, they whisper a message across the centuries: we are Rome, we have always been Rome, and we will always be Rome, wherever our city stands.

Historians have found that this kind of deliberate mythological continuity was a critical tool of Roman imperial self-presentation throughout the empire’s history, but it took on special urgency in the Constantinian period, when so much was changing so rapidly. A new capital, a new religion, a new dynasty — and yet the same she-wolf, the same twins, the same eternal city. The coin is a small bronze act of reassurance, minted in the very workshop of change.

For anyone with even a passing interest in Roman history, classical antiquity, or the story of how the ancient world gave birth to the medieval one, the Vrbs Roma Constantinople mint coin is an object of genuine wonder. It is affordable, beautiful, historically significant, and — when you hold one in your hand and really think about where it has been and what it witnessed — utterly, irreplaceably thrilling.

Explore more fascinating stories from the late Roman world in our feature on Constantine the Great’s lasting legacy on Western civilization.

Further Reading: Books on Roman Coinage and Constantine

If the Vrbs Roma coin has sparked your curiosity about Roman numismatics and the Constantinian era, these books are essential companions for going deeper into the subject.

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• Constantine the Emperor by David Potter — A rigorous, highly readable scholarly biography that places Constantine’s political and religious decisions in their full historical context, including his use of coinage as propaganda. Find it on Amazon
• Roman Coins and Their Values by David R. Sear — The standard reference for collectors of Roman coinage, covering the entire span of Roman numismatic history with detailed descriptions and valuations. Find it on Amazon
• The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World by Adrian Murdoch — Provides brilliant context for understanding the religious and cultural tensions of the fourth-century Roman world that give the Vrbs Roma coin its deeper meaning. Find it on Amazon
• Byzantine Coins by Philip Grierson — For those who want to trace the story of Roman coinage into its Byzantine continuation, Grierson’s work is the definitive scholarly resource. Find it on Amazon
• An Introduction to the Ancient World by Lukas de Blois and R.J. van der Spek — An excellent broad overview of classical antiquity that provides the wider historical framework within which coins like the Vrbs Roma make complete sense. Find it on Amazon

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Constantine issue the Vrbs Roma coin when founding Constantinople?

Constantine issued the Vrbs Roma coin as a deliberate act of political symbolism, connecting his brand-new eastern capital to the founding mythology of Rome itself. By depicting the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus, the coin asserted that Constantinople was not a rival to Rome but its legitimate heir and continuation, helping to legitimize the enormous political and cultural upheaval that the founding of a new imperial capital represented.

How did the Constantinople mint distinguish its coins from other mints?

The Constantinople mint used distinctive mintmarks in the exergue — the lower section of the coin’s reverse — most commonly the abbreviation CONS followed by a letter indicating the specific workshop, or officina, that produced it (CONSA, CONSB, CONSC, CONSD, CONSE). These mintmarks allow modern numismatists and collectors to precisely attribute coins to the Constantinople workshop even after nearly 1,700 years.

What was the significance of Romulus and Remus in Roman culture?

Romulus and Remus were the legendary twin founders of Rome, said to be the sons of the war god Mars and a Vestal Virgin named Rhea Silvia. Abandoned on the Tiber and suckled by a she-wolf, they grew up to found the city of Rome in 753 BC according to Roman tradition. The story was central to Roman civic identity for over a thousand years, representing divine favor, martial virtue, and the eternal destiny of the Roman people.

How rare and valuable are Vrbs Roma Constantinople mint coins today?

Vrbs Roma coins from the Constantinople mint are moderately common in the ancient coin market, as they were produced in large quantities across multiple officinae between 330 and 335 AD. Average examples in Fine condition typically sell for between $20 and $80 USD, while exceptional pieces with sharp strikes, full mintmarks, and attractive green or brown patina can reach $150 to $300 or more. Constantinople mint examples generally command a slight premium over coins from other mints due to their special historical significance.

What is the AE3 denomination and how does it fit into the late Roman monetary system?

AE3 is a modern numismatic classification used to describe small bronze coins of the late Roman period, roughly 17 to 21 millimeters in diameter. By the time the Vrbs Roma coins were struck in 330 AD, the Roman monetary system had undergone significant reforms, and the bronze follis had shrunk considerably from its earlier, larger form. The AE3 denomination was the workhorse coinage of everyday transactions in the Constantinian era, circulating widely throughout the empire and representing the most commonly encountered type of Roman coin found by archaeologists and collectors today.

Why do some collectors consider slabbing ancient coins controversial?

The debate over slabbing — encapsulating ancient coins in certified holders from professional grading services — centers on a tension between preservation and accessibility. Many traditional collectors value the ability to handle ancient coins directly, feeling that physical contact is an irreplaceable part of the connection to antiquity. Critics of slabbing also argue that grading standards developed for modern coins do not always translate well to the variable production quality of ancient bronzes. Proponents, however, emphasize that professional authentication protects buyers from forgeries and that certified coins often achieve higher prices and greater buyer confidence in the marketplace.