THEODOSIUS II GOLD SOLIDUS – ISSUE WITH FIRST APPEARANCE OF GLOBUS CRUCIGER – AU EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE COIN (Inv. 20234)

$1,850.00

20234. EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE. THEODOSIUS II, AD 402–450.
Gold Solidus, 4.30 g, 21 mm. Issue of Thessalonica, ca. AD 424–430.
Obv. D N THEODOSIVS P F AVC, diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust of Theodosius three quarters right, holding spear and shield with horseman device. Rev. GLOR ORVIS TERRAR, Theodosius standing facing, dressed in military cuirass, holding labarum and cross on globe (globus cruciger), star in left field, TESOB in exergue.
RIC X, 361.
NGC graded AU, Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5, “brushed,” “clipped,” a scarce type.

This coinage is the first time when the “globus cruciger,” a globe with a cross on top, appears held by an emperor – this imagery becomes standard in the numismatic repertoire henceforth. The legend “GLORY OVER THE WORLD’S SPHERE” may actually refer to the globus cruciger, namely that Christianity, represented by the cross, has spread over the entire world.