Constantine URBS ROMA Commemorative

Struck across the Roman world starting around 330 AD, this small bronze coin was part of a commemorative series celebrating the city of Rome itself rather than the reigning emperor. It is beloved by collectors chiefly for its reverse: the she-wolf nursing the twin founders of Rome, one of antiquity's most enduring and recognizable images.

Because the coin carries no emperor's name or portrait on the obverse, it functioned as a kind of civic tribute piece, struck alongside a companion series honoring Constantinople. Its charm, low cost, and mythological subject make it one of the most popular ancient bronzes for new collectors.

The URBS ROMA commemorative series began around 330 AD, roughly coinciding with the dedication of Constantinople as Constantine's new eastern capital. By issuing parallel coins honoring both Rome and Constantinople, Constantine balanced homage to the ancient capital with promotion of his new one, reinforcing the idea of a unified empire with two great cities.

The series continued to be struck at mints throughout the empire for roughly a decade and a half, into the reigns of Constantine's sons, before commemorative issues of this style were discontinued. The wolf-and-twins imagery drew on centuries-old Roman foundation mythology, deliberately invoking Rome's ancient legendary origins even as the empire's center of gravity shifted eastward.

The obverse shows a helmeted, draped bust representing the personified city of Rome (Roma), facing left, with the simple legend VRBS ROMA and no emperor's name. The reverse depicts the she-wolf standing left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus, with two stars above and a mintmark in the exergue; some varieties show minor differences in the wolf's pose or accompanying details.

The coin is a small bronze module, generally 15–19mm, reflecting the reduced size of Roman bronze coinage by this period. Because it lacks an imperial obverse portrait, it is unmistakable among Constantinian bronzes and is easily distinguished from its companion CONSTANTINOPOLIS type by the helmeted Roma bust versus the Victory-on-prow reverse.

This is one of the most affordable and popular ancient Roman coins in the hobby, prized purely for its charming and historically resonant design rather than for scarcity. Common examples in worn to average condition are widely available and inexpensive, while sharply struck coins with full detail on the wolf and twins bring more.

Because millions were struck across many mints, rarity is mostly a function of specific mint and officina combinations rather than the basic type. Its low price point relative to its iconic imagery makes it one of the best-selling ancient coins for beginning collectors and gift purchases.