Dates on images may also differ.
You Might Also Like
Details & Specifications
Constantine the Great died in 337AD, leaving his three sons to rule over the Roman Empire. As was the custom, coins were issued posthumously in his image, to celebrate the ancient custom of the late Emperor ascending to divinity. This posed an awkward problem for the new Emperors.
Ancient tradition had the Roman Senate declare the divinity of a deceased Emperor, but Constantine was a Christian. This required his sons, Christian Emperors of a Rome where most of the inhabitants were not Christian, to walk a political tightrope. The Senate declared Constantine a god, but the traditional posthumous coins honoring the late Emperor contained Christian imagery.
The most famous of these coins are the "Hand of God" coins. Constantine was depicted riding a chariot to Heaven, as the hand of the Christian God reaches down to accept him. This is the first coin known to portray a physical manifestation of the Christian God, making it a popular coin even to this day. The imagery of this coin was copied many times throughout Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages.
Gainesville Coins is pleased to offer this authenticated Constantine the Great Hand of God commemorative coin, in a folder that explains its history.
