CONSTANTIUS II SILVER SILIQUA – ISSUE OF ANTIOCH WITH “EYES TO GOD” PORTRAIT – MINT STATE STAR 5-5 5-5 NGC GRADED ROMAN IMPERIAL COIN (Inv. 19700)

$4,500.00

19700. ROMAN EMPIRE. CONSTANTIUS II, AD 337–361.
Silver Siliqua, 3.32 g, 21 mm. Issue of Antioch, struck while serving as Augustus, ca. AD 337–347.
Obv. Diademed head right, with upward looking gaze. Rev. VOTIS / XV / MVLTIS / XX, legend in four lines within wreath; ANT in exergue.
RIC VIII, 35.
NGC graded MINT STATE STAR, Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5, exceptional eye–appeal of this popular variety with the so–called “eyes to God” portrait, symbolizing the new Christian faith adopted by Constantine and his family.

This siliqua features the desirable “eyes to God” portrait type in which Constantius II is depicted not in the standard profile looking straight to right or left, but with his gaze elevated slightly upwards as if towards the heavens. It is widely thought to indicate the Christian piety of the emperor and his contemplation of holy things. The “eyes to God” iconography was not original to Constantius II as Augustus. It was originally developed for coins of his father, Constantine the Great, but was also used for coins of his sons in the roles of Caesars as a means of presenting a pious Christian dynasty. This coin therefore not only illustrates the concern of Constantius II for the divine, but also his continuity with the reign of his father.