Have a seat Victory. You've earned It.

[Furryfrog02]

As most of you here already know, I love all things that represent Victory (or Nike if you feel like being a Philhellene). I am always trying to add to my collection of coins that represent her in all of her Victorious Glory. Most of the time she is busy flying left or right, or dragging captives, or inscribing her victories on a shield. Which made me say "When does she ever get a break!?!" You can't just go go go 24/7 in order to ensure that the Romans (or Greeks, Byzantines, and all the other cultures who co-opted your image ) are forever Victorious. 

Sometimes you just need to take a breather and have a seat. Have someone else build the trophy for once. Let the captives come to you. 

Thus, I present to you my newest Victory acquisition  - A CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE follis of Constantine I . Victory has clearly had a long day of flying this way and that across the realm making sure that Judea, the Parthians, the Goths, perhaps a few usurpers, and whoever else may need to be put in their place, has been properly attended to as well as building the requisite trophies. Now she just wants to sit back with a glass of wine and let everyone come to her. Cue the CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE. 

In this case, Victory likely represents Constantine's victory over Licinius. She's tired and just wants to relax while the losers grovel for mercy at her feet. The trophy to her win is already built and she is just ready to be done with the day. Honestly, she doesn't even want to hear what the captives have to say. 

Constantine I

AE follis

Constantinople mint

Obverse: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, rosette diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right

Reverse: CONSTANTINI-ANA DAFNE, Victory seated left on cippus, looking right, holding palm branch in each hand, trophy in background, captive seated left at feet. Officina letter Δ, in left field

Mintmark CONS

 

 

I was originally made aware of this Victory reverse by @Victor Clark posting an admittedly much nicer example somewhere else. I read through his page on the topic  and have been on the lookout ever since. A few days ago, I threw a bit on a group of coins with the reverse in question and surprisingly won. They arrived in the mail today and I am excited to share with you all. 

The coin itself is a little rougher than I expected based on the seller's pictures but overall I am happy. The price was affordable for me and I am happy to add a new type of Victory to my collection.

Please feel free to show off your CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE coins or other coins that show Victory doing what she does best. 

Thanks for looking!

[Alegandron]

Victory Seated

RI Vespasian 69-79 CE AR Quinarius Victory seated wreath palm RIC 802 Rare

[Furryfrog02]

6 minutes ago, Alegandron said:

Victory Seated

RI Vespasian 69-79 CE AR Quinarius Victory seated wreath palm RIC 802 Rare

Perhaps Victory is taking a restroom break?

Afterall, didn't Vespasian say Pecunia non olet ? 😛

[Roman Collector]

Nike isn't taking much of a rest here, but I like this bronze triassarion from Tomis.

Julia Domna AD 193-217.
Roman provincial AE triassarion, 8.75 gm, 24.4 mm, 6 h.
Moesia Inferior, Tomis, AD 193-211.
Obv: ΙΟVΛΙΑ ΔΟΜΝΑ CE, bare-headed and draped bust, r.
Rev: ΜΗΤ ΠΟΝ ΤΟΜΕΩC, Nike advancing l., holding wreath and palm, retrograde Γ (=3) to left.
Refs: Varbanov 4857; AMNG 2811.

[dougsmit]

These come with some less than standard bust styles.  I do not have the 'eyes to heaven' style.  This one has cuirass and rosette diadem.

[DANTE]

Not much of a coin estheically, but here's Victory taking a day off from all tiresome celebrations and working as a teacher at a local elementary school instead.

 

 

 

[zumbly]

Congrats on the acquisition, ff.  I love this reverse, obviously essential to any collector of Victory types. 

 

CONSTANTINE I
AE3. 3.12g, 20mm.
Constantinople mint, AD 328. RIC VII Constantinople 32.
O: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, rosette-diademed head of Constantine right, looking up to the heavens.
R: CONSTANTINI-ANA DAFNE, Victory seated left on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking right, spurning a captive kneeling left with head turned right; a shield at her foot and a trophy before her; gamma in left field, CONS in exergue.

[Helvius Pertinax]

Cant catch a break, the poor Lady! 

[Harry G]

Victory does so many different activities!

Trampling captives...

Holding wreaths...

Spelling the rest of the reverse legend wrong...

[ambr0zie]

Constantiniana Dafne is one of my favorite LRB reverses.

This coin as the obverse inferior to the reverse but I still like it a lot .... especially because of the reverse scene and condition.

Just realized now that it has an interesting feature - the first N on the obverse legend is not spelled exactly correctly.

 

Constantine I the Great AD 306-337. Constantinople
Follis Æ
18 mm, 3,25 g
AD 328-329
CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, bust of Constantine I, rosette-diademed, draped, cuirassed, right / CONSTANTINI-ANA DAFNE, Victory, winged, draped, seated left on cippus, head right, holding palm in left hand and laurel in right; before her, trophy; at foot of trophy, kneeling captive, head turned, being spurned by Victory
MintMark: A/-//CONS dot; OfficinaMark: ∈
RIC VII Constantinople 38 note

And another coin where Victory is taking a break is this Cappadocian Nero

(1.56g 14mm Silver) CAPPADOCIA, Caesaraea-Eusebia. Nero, 54-68. Hemidrachm 59-60.
Obv: (NERO CLAVD DIVI) CLAVD F CAESAR AVG (GERMANI), laureate head of Nero to right Rev: Victory seated right on globe, holding wreath in both hands.
BMC 409; RIC I Nero 617; RPC 3645

But I am not convinced that Victory was taking a break or just continued the fitness exercises

[John Conduitt]

I never realised most of my Victories are either standing or very tiny perched on a small globe. My only seated Victory (such as she is) is my oldest Victory...she didn't realise how much she had left to do...

Vitellius Denarius, 69

Rome. Silver, 18x20mm, 3.08g. Laureate head right; A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP TR P. Victory seated left, holding patera in right hand and palm branch in left, no legend (RIC I, 88). From the Westbury Sub Mendip (Somerset) Hoard 2016.

[Spaniard]

Here's a very short lived Marius victory...

[Al Kowsky]

Sometimes Victory can be seen sitting in the stern of the "ship of state" 😉.

 

[Alegandron]

Imitative

Imitating Octavian- and M. Porcius Cato reverse

AS quinarius 13.89 mm 1.29g

imitating Octavian r blundered legend -

Victory seated r patera

Cr 343-462

[Phil Davis]

A couple:

 

[Phil Davis]

Two More:

[Qcumbor]

In this "Me too" begining and welcome era, would someone have imagined Victory spinning the wool on the reverse of an Empress' coin ?

 

Q

[Sulla80]

# other coins that show Victory doing what she does best...apparently when she isn't spinning, Victory is celebrating: arms in the air - waving a palm frond & wreath and dancing in front of a garlanded altar with a serpent wrapped around it....

L. Rubrius Dossenus, AR Quinarius 87

Obv: DOS – SEN laureate head of Neptune right; behind, trident.

Rev: L. RVBRI Victory advancing right, holding wreath and palm branch; before her, garlanded altar with serpent coiled around top

Size: 1.86g 12.5mm

Ref: Crawford 348/4, Babelon Rubria 4, Sydenham 708

More on this coin in my Notes.

[jdmKY]

Here are some Imperatorial depictions of Victory

[jdmKY]

And Brutus liked Victory too! Unfortunately for him, the feeling wasn’t mutual.

[Dafydd]

Here are some Victory reverses of mine.

Pupienus, 22nd April # 29th July 238. Sestertius April-June 238, Æ 29mm., 18.91g. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. Victory standing facing, head l., holding wreath and palm branch. C 38. RIC 23a.

Severus Alexander AE Sestertius. IMP SEV ALEXANDER AVG, laureate bust right with slight drapery on left shoulder / VICTORIA AVGVSTI S-C, Victory standing right inscribing VOT X on sheild attached to palm tree. Cohen 642.

And a Cato Quinarius to finish in the spirit of the OP.

 

[Furryfrog02]

I keep trying to add another picture and then my browser freezes. Not sure why...
Great coins everyone!

[JayAg47]

I don't have a seated Victory, but have this hold denarius of Commodus with advancing Victory, though I added the silver jump ring.

I wonder if a soldier or an athlete was wearing this for luck?!

[DonnaML]

I'm afraid that with this one exception, all my Victories and Nikes are doing things like driving a biga, or holding a wreath while flying over someone or standing behind someone or standing on something like a globe or someone's palm or a cista mystica.

Roman Republic, M. Cato, AR Quinarius [half denarius], 89 BCE. Obv. Head of young Liber (or Bacchus) right, M•CATO (AT ligate) downwards behind; below, control-mark star/ Rev. Victory seated right, holding patera with outstretched right hand and palm branch over left shoulder; in exergue, VICTRIX (TR ligate). Crawford 343/2b, RSC I Porcia 7 (ill.) (type with symbol as control-mark), BMCRR 662, Sydenham 597(c), Sear RCV I 248 (ill.), RBW Collection 1298. 15 mm., 1.58 g., 6 h. Ex Numismatique Louis Brousseau Auction 1, Aug. 24, 2019, Lot 255.*

 

*Issued at end of Social War. The moneyer’s specific identity and relationship to Cato the Younger (Uticensis) are unknown; he was not that Cato’s father, who died no later than 91 BCE. There is a possibility that he can be identified with M. Porcius the wine-merchant. See Crawford p. 352. The reverse figure is presumably Victoria Virgo, whose shrine was built by Cato Censorius (id., citing Livy).

But these are probably my two favorite Victories:

 

 

Edited June 13, 2022 by DonnaML