A gold rarity from late Roman times was a highlight of MDC Monaco’s auction No. 14 held May 3 and 4 in Monaco.

The circa 327 gold 2-solidi medallion of Constantine II was sold at a hammer price of €100,000 ($107,727 U.S.). All lots are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee and, depending on destination, a 5% VAT.

The medallion has a provenance to the famed Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection, from the part sold by Sotheby’s in June 1990, where it realized $44,000 U.S., including a 10% buyer’s fee.

The medallion is one of two or three known, with examples reportedly in museum collections in Berlin and Paris. This example is the only one in private hands.

Constantine II, eldest son of Constantine the Great and his second wife Fausta, was born in 316. Constantine I wanted to establish his own dynasty and so granted his son the title of Caesar when he was only a year old.

This medallion marks the dynasty’s 10th anniversary. It weighs 8.78 grams, and measures 26.5 millimeters in diameter, about the size and weight of a Sacagawea dollar.

The medallion is graded Choice Extremely Fine by Numismatic Guaranty Co.

Medallions were gifts offered by the emperor to high-ranking personalities, and the young Caesar himself would have distributed this medallion.

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