TYPE Roman Empire, Magnentius (350-3 AD), bronze AE1 (double centenionalis), struck with Decentius, 351-3 AD, Arles mint, first off. DESCRIPTION . Obv: Draped bareheaded bust of Magnentius to right; legend: DN MAGNENTIVS PF AVG Rev: Large Christogram, flanked by 'alpha' and 'omega', legend: SALVS DD NN AVG ET CAES, mintmark PAR in exergue REFERENCE: CHK 445, SR 4017 GRADING: F+ / VF, porosity (more on obv.), brown patina, very scarce ORDER INFO: R2070, $145 A prized type from a scarce ruler, with the most prominent display, in all of classical coinage, of the famous Christian monogram, with the superimposed Greek letter "chi" and "ro" (HR) - the starting letters of Christ's name. According to legend, Constantine the Great had a vision of Christ prior to the battle of Milvian Bridge, whereby he was instructed to put this sign on his military standards, which so ornamented came to be known as labara. The battle, fought against rival Maxentius on Oct. 28, 312 AD, was a decisive victory for Constantine which opened the door for his uncontested rule, an eventaully led to the triumph of Christianity.