I have been a huge reader of Byzantine History, even traveling to Turkey to specifically what they left behind. This is my first coin. I plan to get more Byzantine coins, because of my passion for their history! It is a Follis of Maurice Tiberius, second year of his reign.
Welcome to the world of big Byzantine bronzes! The only thing I would correct on your id is that it isn't year 2.
Hearty welcome, @Stanw891! Looks as if @furryfrog02 was on his way to elaborating on the date, and momentarily fell victim to the sort of glitch that all online technology is heir to.
I fell victim to having 3 kids under 10! lol @Stanw891 your coin is dated GII which if I'm not mistaken is 8. G being 6 and then the II. I may have that screwed up in my exhausted mind right now. lol
Awesome! My first two Byzantine (GOOD) coins were from @tenbobbit Justin I Justin II My ACTUAL first byantine was: Justin II 5 nummus
@furryfrog02 Thank you so much! I have a one and three year old running around, so I understand the exhaustion haha!
Byzantines are an acquired taste, especially if you're used to Roman imperial coins. Often times, the engraving and striking quality is rather poor. Here's a small, light, and thin overstrike of a follis. The shift from LARGE, HEAVY early follises to small and poorly struck folles is pretty dramatic. Constans II
You might want to check out large lot offerings through dealers and auction houses such as Roma. You can get an assortment of interesting and nice Byzantine bronzes at a pretty good price. Just be careful bidding; auction houses include a buyer's fee. Roma charges a 20% fee, others are in that ballpark as well. Also, with overseas auctions and purchases, there currency conversion to consider. Here's one example, a half tetarteron of Manuel I Commenus,1143-1180. 1.7 grams
Welcome to the Byzantine World @Stanw891 ! You mentioned that you traveled to Turkey, I suggest trying Greece too as the churches are in better shape and actually used as such. And if you 'really' want to visit Byzantium, how about Mount Athos? Have you heard of it? Have a look here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-byzantine-empire-still-exists-and-you-can-visit-it.357439/ As for a coin, here is nice bronze of mine from the anonymous series:
@furryfrog02, that is One. Frightening. Reality Check. Can I wish you 'Godspeed' between the sustained chuckling? (...Nope, the chuckling ensues --trust that's a good omen.)
My first (and only) Byzantine SB 1681 Theophilus. AE Follis. Syracuse mint. Theofil Basil, crowned bust facing with short beard, wearing chlamys, holding cross on globe / Large M, XXX to left, cross above, NNN to right, theta below. SB 1681, DOC 30.
Welcome to Coin Talk! That's a nice Maurice Tiberius follis - here is one of mine: Maurice Tiberius Æ Follis Year 7 (588-589 A.D.) Constantinople Mint DN MAVRIC TIBER PP AVG, Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe & shield / Large M, ANNO left, cross above, ς I year right, Officina A below; CON in ex. SB 494; MIB 65d-67d. (11.09 grams / 27 x 25 mm) As for those dates, when I first started collecting Byzantines a couple years back, the Greek 5 and 6 often confused me. Here is a cheat I use: Regnal year μ - Greek 5 Regnal year ς - Greek 6 Sometimes they are still hard to tell apart, at least for me. As Furryfrog notes, yours is: Regnal year ς II (8)
Irene and Constantine VI, Byzantine Empire AE follis Obv: Facing bust of Irene, wearing crown and loros, holding globus cruciger and cruciform sceptre Rev: Facing bust of Constantine VI, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, holding globus cruciger, two pellets to left, cross to right, all above horzontal bar, large M below flanked by X and N (partly off-flan) Mint: Constantinople Date: 792-797 AD Ref: SB 1598
Nice coin @Stanw891 - welcome to the world of Byzantines. Although I primarily collect Roman Imperials I have a good amount of Byzantines as well. Here's one of Anastasius, who invented the large, chunky folles. Before that there were only tiny nummus coins with probably zero value. An accountant by profession, Anastasius left the state coffers with 23 million solidi upon his death.
Here are two more coins from the same group lot. Heraclius, follis, Cyzicus, year 3 (612/3), officina B. SB 839 Over-strike on an earlier follis, as is typical with his coinage. 9.9 grams Justin I, follis, Constantinople, 518-527 AD, officina ε. SB 62 16.0 grams A bit crusty, but decent.