60, Lot: 144. Estimate $75. Sold for $124. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CONSTANTINE I. 307-337 AD. Æ Follis (22mm, 4.33 gm). Treveri (Trier) mint. Struck 310-313 AD. Laureate and cuirassed bust right / Radiate and draped bust of Sol right. RIC VI 893. Good VF, dark brown patina with traces of silvering, reverse die flaw, minor roughness.

Like Augustus before him, Constantine's ability to incorporate divergent and often opposing views into a new vision of empire demonstrated a keen political eye; though whether or not he ever personally subscribed to such beliefs is a matter of of scholarly debate. A case in point is his use of Sol Invictus on his coinage. Throughout the third century, sun worhip had been gaining in imperial popularity. Early in the third century, Elagabalus had introduced the Syrian version, though the emperor's own idiosyncarsies overshadowed any hope of success. Aurelian, after his reconquest of the east, established the cult of Sol Invictus, including a large temple in Rome. This version added the elements of Mithraism, a cult which had been gaining popularity among the soldiers, and subsequent emperors, like Constantine, used the image to foster loyalty among the troops.