Featured The Coinage Reform of Anastasius

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by ancient coin hunter, Feb 17, 2020.

  1. Brian Bucklan

    Brian Bucklan Well-Known Member

    Just took a pic of the reverse of one of my "no crossbar" type monograms of Justin II. Bit rough (and only 9mm) but the monogram is all there.
    Justin II Monogram 2.jpg
     
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  3. Voulgaroktonou

    Voulgaroktonou Well-Known Member

    Thank you!
     
  4. seth77

    seth77 Well-Known Member

    Another small nummus of Anastasius 8mm 0.72g, possibly the smallest I've ever seen.

    1343530_1598542031.jpg
     
  5. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Mine is 0.45g.
    rz0010bb2287.jpg

    0.45 x 40 = 18g. My M is 17.3g. That is close enough for government work especially considering the wear on the follis.
    rz0022bb2740.jpg
     
  6. Quant.Geek

    Quant.Geek Well-Known Member

    Here is mine...

    [​IMG]

    and an interesting one where the obverse image is reversed...

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Pellinore

    Pellinore Well-Known Member

    What an informative thread, a pleasure to read.
    This is my only Anastasius.

    3529 Anastasius ct.jpg

    Byzantium, Anastasius, Follis, undated but 512-517. Mint Constantinopel, officina B. Obv. Laureate bust r. DNANASTA/ SIVSPPAVG. Rev. Large M under a cross and between two stars, B between ‘legs’, CON in exergue. 38 mm, 17.77 gr.
    S. 19. Joop Evers Febr. 7, 2020, € 40
     
  8. PeteB

    PeteB Well-Known Member

    AnastasiusIPenta.jpg
    Anastasius. 491-518 AD. Æ Pentanummium, 13mm. Obv: diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: Large Є and monograms. SB 53a (var). DOC 49a.
     
  9. Valentinian

    Valentinian Well-Known Member

    Plus, there is a cross above the head, a scarcer variety. I have a friend who collected cross-above-head Byzantine coins and I wrote a website on them for him:
    http://augustuscoins.com/ed/ByzCross/Cross-above-head.html
     
  10. PeteB

    PeteB Well-Known Member

    Wow. Well done, Valentinian.
    And thanks for pointing out my oversight.
     
  11. seth77

    seth77 Well-Known Member

    These small crude things are awkwardly satisfying

    1788003_1616948227.jpg
     
  12. Voulgaroktonou

    Voulgaroktonou Well-Known Member

    And it has the suggestion of an inscription, which is not often the case: DNA...
    Here is one of mine that also has a partial inscription. [DN A]NACTACI[VS..] Note use of lunate sigma for Latin S and inconsistency of form of A, a broken bar and horizontal bar.
    Constantinople, 491-518. Sear 13; H. 40; DO 15; BNP 1-10; BM 59-60; R. 2342.
    0.70 gr. 10 mm. hr. 6.
    S0013.06.jpg
     
  13. seth77

    seth77 Well-Known Member

    How common is the Greek legend? Seems like most (that keep any legend) have Latin legend.

    And here is something that I think might be somewhat scarce:

    1788001_16169482251.jpg
    AE23mm 7.40g

    This specimen is from the second phase of the light and small module follis in Anastasius's bronze coinage reform. The countermark was probably applied in 512 when the final version of the follis (the large and heavy issue) was introduced and the earlier smaller and lighter coinages were re-tariffed to circulate together with the new coinage at half their face value; the crescent marking was likely applied in the Roman provinces of Palestina Prima or Secunda, indicating that this specimen circulated in the general area of the Eastern Levant region (see further from Georges Abou Diwan - Base-metal coinage circulation in Byzantine Beirut 491-641CE, pp. 174-5 here).

    Obverse legend variation AVS instead of AVG.
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2021
  14. Voulgaroktonou

    Voulgaroktonou Well-Known Member

    During the mid to end of the 5th c., we begin seeing Greek letter forms appearing instead of Latin ones. This is certainly due to the engravers, being more and more Greek speaking, occasionally mixed up the letters. As far as the countermark goes, I may be blind, but I don't see it?
     
  15. seth77

    seth77 Well-Known Member

    It's a small crescent over the chi-iota star in the left field on the reverse.
     
  16. Tejas

    Tejas Well-Known Member

    Wolfgang Hahn describes in his book "Zur Münzprägung des frühbyzantinischen Reiches" how the tiny nummi exchanged hands in bags (lat. = follis). The name follis was also used for the large bronze coins which could be exchanged for bags of nummi.

    Here are two Anastasius folles from my collection:

    This is a large-flan follis of the mint of Constantinople (2. offizin).
    DN ANASTASIVS PP AVG // M - B / CON
    The coin was minted to the heavy standard after the reform of 512. (MIB 27.1)


    Screenshot 2021-04-23 at 09.55.29.png

    And a small-flan follis from Constantinople.
    DN ANASTASIVS PP AVG // M - S / CON

    Note that the coin pictures are not to scale. The small-flan follis is at 22mm significantly smaller than the large-flan follis (38mm). This coin was minted before the reform of 512. In fact, the emission with stars began in AD 507 (according to Hahn). So the coin can be dated to 507 to 512. The stars were probably added to mark the 500th birthday of Christ, which was celebrated in 507/508.

    Hahn says that 5 offizins produced these coins: A, B, gamma, delta and epsilon. Despite the CON sigle, the epsilon-offizin was probably located in Heraclea and operated as a branch of Constantinople. Only the coins from Nikomedia had their own sigle NIK. My coin shows the offizin letter S, which Hahn does not mention.


    (MIB 23)

    Screenshot 2021-04-23 at 09.55.08.png
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2021
  17. Tejas

    Tejas Well-Known Member


    I think this is MIB 24. Hahn mentioned the emission with only one star in the left field and says that the star is usually 8-pointed like on the solidi. A rarer variant (such as yours) shows a 6-pointed star.

    Hahn also writes that these pre-512 coins are often (20% and always on the reverse) countermarked. The countermarks were probably applied in the course of the reform of 512, when private money exchangers revalued the coins to the new standard.

    The rare reverse and the countermark make this an especially interesting coin.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2021
    Only a Poor Old Man and seth77 like this.
  18. Voulgaroktonou

    Voulgaroktonou Well-Known Member

    I see, thank you!
     
  19. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    I have this little nummus with monogram.
    upload_2021-4-24_9-58-57.png
    It's pretty good for what it is, with solid details. One day I'll try to clean the obverse to reveal more of the portrait.
     
  20. BenSi

    BenSi Well-Known Member

    I was studying up on the coin reform and came across this thread on a bing search engine ( Should have checked here first.) Very interesting but this series is a bit confusing, especially in the sizes of the follis, the extreme to the small , all issued after the coin reform.

    I bought this coin at auction , it is a large example, very impressive. 38mm 19.74gm
    h3.jpg


    However I got these two in a large group lot,
    s4.jpg
    24.61mm and 5.5gm
    and
    t4.jpg
    23.34mm and 8.7gm

    I have not really attributed them, however I do not understand the sequence, no date, so did the coins go from small to big or big to small?

    Any insight here? TY
     
  21. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    Almost certain it went from big to small.

    edit: I promise I had this opposite. They went to small to big
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2021
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