Roman Bronze - Constantius 2nd (317 to 361) Gladiator NGC XF

This Tuesday is an iconic day in ancient history, the Ides of March! It was on that very day that the greatest Roman emperor of his time, Julius Caesar, met his fate at the hands of Brutus and the Senate. This date has forever been etched into history as the beginning of the end for the massive Roman empire!

In honor of this special anniversary, we are bringing back one of our favorite pieces from ancient Rome – the stunning Constantius 2nd gladiator-design bronze coins!

Each coin is certified by NGC as being authentic Roman Bronze struck during the reign of Constantius 2nd and features a stunning rendition of a Roman gladiator standing triumphant over the body of his foe in the arena!

Rome was a massive republic that existed for over 500 years from 27 B.C. to 476 A.D. and during that span completely dominated the planet as the largest active leaders in all things military, agricultural, and industrial. Outside of the ruins scattered throughout what is left of their massive empire, it was the coinage of Rome that had the greatest impact. They produced pieces of bronze, gold, and silver minted with the face of their emperor proudly stamped into its design, which were considered good legal tender throughout the entire empire.

During the reign of each ruler, they produced coinage that featured their own likeness, something that helps us accurately determine just how ancient each coin actually is!

These special Roman Gladiator coins were struck to honor the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of the original city of Rome – making them some of the first commemorative coins in world history!

Did You Know? The Roman Imperial Mints include, but are not limited to: Rome, Thessalonica, Siscia, Alexanderia, Nicodemia, Londinium (the Great London Mint), Heraclea, and Constantinopolis.

Constantius 2nd was the son of Constantine the Great, and he had a great love for the warriors that fought in the Roman Colosseum – believing that standing victorious at the end of a glorious battle was a thrill unrivaled!

Gladiatorial Combat is considered to be an iconic Roman past-time, and was used by the many rulers to appease the masses during times of hardship. This allowed the everyday citizens to alleviate their worries regarding issues such as crime, near-constant war, food shortages, and the like.

In fact, the word ‘Arena’ is actually Latin for ‘Sand’ – of which copious amounts were used in the colosseums of ancient Rome to soak up all the blood from the many men who would fight and die for the people’s entertainment and their own personal glory!