Constantine I "the Great" (A.D. 324-337), DIVO CLAVDIO Commemorative bronze Coin About Very Fine

Constantine I is the only Roman emperor called ‘the Great’. His father was Constantius I who died at York in A.D. 306 so the army proclaimed Constantine emperor. From A.D. 307 Constantine pronounced himself ‘Augustus’ and slowly but surely rose to become the sole ruler of the empire. During Constantine’s rise, he needed to link himself to past rulers to show he was the rightful emperor. He had inherited from his father, Constantius I, and he married the old emperor Maximian’s daughter, Fausta, in A.D. 307. In A.D. 310 a dubious family link was ‘discovered’ with Claudius II Gothicus (a popular emperor from A.D. 268-270), emphasising his hereditary right to rule. Between A.D. 316-318 Constantine minted intriguing coins commemorating these dead emperors. Searching through old storage we found a group of these Scarce, small bronze coins he struck for Claudius II. They have the veiled head of Claudius II on the obverse with him seated on the reverse in a full toga & veil. The legend on the obverse shows ‘DIVO CLAVDIO’ & they grade About Very Fine. Own this Scarce piece of ancient propaganda from Constantine the Great!