THEODOSIUS II GOLD SOLIDUS – ISSUE WITH FIRST APPEARANCE OF GLOBUS CRUCIGER – MINT STATE EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE COIN (Inv. 19952)

$1,950.00

19952. EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE. THEODOSIUS II, AD 402–450.
Gold Solidus, 4.47 g, 21 mm. Issue of Constantinople, officina Γ.
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 Γ, Theodosius standing facing, dressed in military cuirass, holding labarum and cross on globe (globus cruciger), star in left field, CONOB in exergue.
RIC X 232; Depeyrot 77/1.
NGC graded MINT STATE, Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5, “brushed,” a scarce type for Constantinople, the officina Γ issue is a rare emission with six specimens recorded in market records.

This is the first appearance of the “globus cruciger,” a globe with a cross on top, held by the emperor, imagery that becomes standard in the numismatic repertoire of the Western world. The legend “GLORY OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD” may refer to the globus cruciger and its symbolism, namely that Christianity, represented by the cross, has spread over the entire known world.