Help Dating a Justin II & Sophia Half Follis

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Justin Lee, Aug 20, 2019.

  1. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    Just recieved this decent Half Follis of Justin II & Sophia from Thessalonica, but I'm having trouble pinning down the date.
    CollageMaker_20190820_210453421.jpg

    At first glance, I see an I (1) before a G (6) which would indicate it to be 6-1=5... But why not use a U (5)? There also appears to be another raised line before the more prominent I... Could this be another I? Is this 6-1-1=4?
    CollageMaker_20190820_210719523.jpg

    What does your experience and brain say?
    What does your gut say?
    What would you bet it is?

    Thanks in advance for any opinions!

    PS - I picked up this Half Follis to go with my other 2 Folles of the couple:
    [​IMG]
    CollageMaker_20190820_213133672.jpg
     
    Johndakerftw and Shea19 like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    You'll be interested in this article about dating Byzantine coins. That reads IU. I think it would be 6. From the article:

    Capture.JPG
     
    Shea19 and Justin Lee like this.
  4. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    That's right, I remember now seeing you or Warren or someone talking about how the order of numbers can actually go illogically backwards, too. I do think that is a G (high, curved left sid ) and not a U, but do you see a second I farther to the left of the more apparent one?

    And thank you, @Roman Collector! That's a great resource!!
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  5. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    This one from my collection is a year 5 from Nicomedia. Note the shape of the U:

    Justin and Sophia.jpg
     
    Johndakerftw and Shea19 like this.
  6. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    I actually think yours is a G as well... Check out the comparisons in this post.
     
    Shea19 and Roman Collector like this.
  7. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Indeed. As @TIF says, "Always learning."
     
    Justin Lee likes this.
  8. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    It's astonishing how many of these are misattributed, making the same confusion between U and G as I did.
     
    Justin Lee likes this.
  9. Shea19

    Shea19 Well-Known Member

    Very interesting. I also have a follis of Justin II and Sophia from Nicomedia...the seller listed it as Year 6 (UI), but after reading this, I now think it may actually be year 7 (GI). What do you guys think?

    C9DF2464-B4E7-4789-90F1-7D7926DEAEBC.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2019
  10. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    I'd think so too... Year 7.
     
    Roman Collector and Shea19 like this.
  11. David@PCC

    David@PCC allcoinage.com

    Unlike Roman numerals, regnal years are always added, not subtracted. Yours is year 5 with a probable die break before making it look like a one. Or at least that is what it appears to me. I have one such coin where I precedes Ϛ (1+6), but that is very rare and not listed for this type.
     
    Shea19 and Roman Collector like this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page