CONSTAN-TINOPOLIS, bust of Constantinopolis left, wearing laureate and crested helmet, necklace and ornamental mantle over left shoulder, holding sceptre / Victory standing left, foot on prow, holding transverse sceptre and resting left hand on shield. 18mm, 2.43 grams. Thessalonica mint. RIC 230.

The CONSTANTINOPOLIS coinage of the 330s CE was a commemorative bronze series issued under Constantine the Great to celebrate the inauguration of Constantinople as the new imperial capital in 330 CE. On the obverse, these coins typically show the personified city of Constantinople wearing a crested helmet and imperial robes, symbolizing the city’s emerging political and military stature. The reverse usually features a winged Victory standing on the prow of a ship, representing Constantinople’s maritime power and its destiny as the empire’s future center. Paired with the VRBS ROMA issues, the CONSTANTINOPOLIS coins promoted the vision of a harmonious dual-capital empire and marked the symbolic shift of Roman power from the old capital on the Tiber to the new one on the Bosporus.