Constantine I, The Great (Sol Invictus) Roman AE (AD 272–337) NGC

Own a certified Roman bronze AE of Constantine the Great (AD 272–337), featuring the image of Sol Invictus, authenticated and slabbed by NGC. This coin captures the intersection of Rome’s pagan past and its emerging Christian future — all under the rule of one of history’s most transformative emperors.

Constantine the Great was the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity. After centuries of sporadic persecution, Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313 AD granted religious tolerance across the empire and laid the groundwork for Christianity’s rise to dominance. Though Christianity would not become the official state religion until decades later under Theodosius I, Constantine’s reign marked the decisive turning point.

This particular coin type features Constantine’s portrait on the obverse and the radiate figure of Sol Invictus — the Unconquered Sun — on the reverse, a symbol of divine guidance and power. Sol had been an important pagan deity closely associated with Roman emperors, and Constantine continued to use his imagery even as he increasingly promoted Christian ideals.

Some scholars view this use of Sol Invictus as a transitional symbol — potentially blending older solar worship with emerging Christian themes. While not a literal depiction of Jesus Christ, the figure of Sol on Constantine’s coinage may reflect early Christian appropriation of solar imagery as a metaphor for divine light and salvation.

Certified by NGC, this AE coin offers collectors a powerful artifact from the dawn of Christian imperial Rome — when pagan iconography and Christian ideology coexisted on Rome’s imperial coinage.