Its not very pretty, crappy strike, poor design, but a very rare coin. These are far and few in numbers, this example was graded EF even though it looks ratty. AV Hyperpyron 5.22g./ 25mm Constantinople Mint obv. Christ flanked by Johannes V Paleologus/ Johannes VI Kantakuzenos rev. Virgin Mary within City walls Last AV coin struck by Byzantines/ few known.
If you study the history of this period in Byzantine history to the end a century later, you may be taken with the question how they managed to have coins even this professionally done. Time got tough back then.
oh wow, how neat..yeah, this is getting to the end of the line for these guys. i think by now the "empire" was pretty much constantinople, not far beyond those wall on the coins. @dougsmit don't you have a coin of the next to the last ruler? the last guy made berks "100 greatest ancient coins" book, it's the ugliest coin in there...but just as interesting as the rest.
La Galerie Numismatique auction (Switzerland) This same coin, would have realized 5X more if in CNG/ Ars Classica Auction.
These coins at that period are like the Kardashian sisters: Except from the famous Kim Kardashian you don’t know whose faces are Kimberly’s, Klour’s and Courtney’s. You can only name Kim. I have two hyperpyrons which are attributed to Andronicus II with Michael IX (Sear 2396). They are very common. And similar to the OP’s coin in term of style. There are many similarities and often the only way to distinguish them is by reading their names, but that is very tough to me as they are not like the solidus of 500’s with a clearer legend. The first one has a high content of gold unlike the second. But the first is more clipped than the second: 1,88gram and 22mm 3,20gram and 25mm Try to check the last 8 coins here which bear the similar style if you want to see others: http://labarum.info/sbcv/?m=av
Rare coin and nice shape too. I don't know if I have ever seen a complete example of this type, (struck from Andronicus II on). I own one I like that has a complete wall with the virgin not double struck and marks well struck, but the reverse is soft in areas. Took me 5 years to find one that nice. My rule of thumb, whenever a coin is bragging about how strong their walls are, its not a good sign for the country issuing it.
