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Roman Empire. Crispus. Solidus 326, AV 4.45g.

Currency:CHF Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Ancient Start Price:20,000.00 CHF Estimated At:25,000.00 CHF
Roman Empire. Crispus. Solidus 326, AV 4.45g.
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The Roman Empire. Crispus caesar, 317–326. Solidus, Nicomedia 326, AV 4.45g. Diademed head r. Rev. CRISPVS–CAESAR Victory advancing l., holding wreath and palm branch; in exergue, N. C 59. RIC 110. Alföldi 91. Depeyrot 38/3. Very rare. A magnificent portrait, an absolutely unobtrusive metal flaw on reverse field, otherwise good extremely fine. Ex NAC sale 23, 2002, 1685. The execution of Crispus in 326 was a watershed moment in the reign of Constantine the Great: not only did he lose his eldest son (at the time his only realistic heir as his other three sons were merely boys), but in the aftermath he also executed his wife Fausta for what he thought to be her leading role in a grand deception. But if we dig deeper into the historical record, another possibility for Crispus’ execution emerges. In 326 Constantine was at, or was approaching, his 20th anniversary, depending on whether he counted 306 or 307 as his starting point as Augustus. There is reason to believe that, like Diocletian, Constantine had promised to abdicate after two decades of rule. His natural heir would have been Crispus, a popular young man approaching 30 years old and of proven ability. Some historians believe Constantine may have allowed the trial and execution of Crispus out of a desire–actual or subliminal–to remove him from contention for the throne. After all, his other sons were only 10 years old or younger, and if they were the only options as a replacement, Constantine would have to rule for at least another decade. Though the truth may never be known, it seems hard to believe that Crispus would have tried to seduce his stepmother, who was at least ten years his senior and was his father’s wife. Indeed, the seduction story reads more like a fictional, revisionist account, and the truth may lie in the more practical explanation. The golden statue mentioned in the previous note could apply to a guilty conscience equally well under either circumstance.