SA's favourites 2017: top 10 Medieval (incl. Byzantine)

Here's my second year-in-review post (see my first one for my posting plan, and my excuse for posting more than one list!) Each coin is accompanied by a brief explanation of why I like it so much. Again, I will be excluding coins that made it into another list, like the al-Hakam II dirham in my first list. It would have ranked somewhere in the middle here.

There's a small but inspiring group of medieval and Byzantine fans on CoinTalk. This post is for you! In reverse order:

10) I'm taking my start date as 500, which just snags this diminutive 4 nummi of the Vandals, issued from 523-533:

I've been looking for a distinctive coin of the Vandals for a while, but too many of them are grotty little nondescript slugs. This one I think has some eye appeal, and I like the bust with the unusual proffering of a palm. According to Hahn, this coin was a royal issue, and I wonder if this might not be a portrait of the peaceful Hilderic, a descendant of Valentinian III, friend to Justinian, and supporter of Catholicism (unusual for the normally Arian Vandals). This coin fits nicely with the Justinian on my budget list, which comes from the very beginning of the Byzantine reconquest of Africa: this one was minted just before it, at the tail end of the Vandal occupation.

9) Basil II (976-1025) miliaresion:

I've been chasing one of these for a while too, but they always went for more than I was willing to pay. It's a bit silly to insist on emperor portraits for this era of Byzantine, because they pretty much all look the same! But I do insist, especially for a major figure like Basil II, conqueror of the Bulgars and initiator of serious diplomatic and dynastic relations with the Kievan Rus. Since you're a collector too I know you'll understand. I also love the feel of these silvers in hand; while they're slightly lighter than a denarius, they're also larger (20-24mm).

8) Follis of Leo IV (775-780), Constantinople:

My first foray beyond Roman Imperial was into Byzantine AE, and I still have a soft spot for 'em. It's hard to find this coin with four clear portraits (at least they're not all four exactly the same!), and I just like the design and concept of this issue a lot. It's ultra-dynastic, with emperor and son (Constantine VI) on the obverse, and dad (Constantine V, on the right) and granddad (Leo III, left) on the reverse. So cool!! (This coin is ex the Christov Family collection. They seem to have had a really awesome bunch of Byzantine.)

7) Did I mention I like the feel of a miliaresion in hand? This is a newfound pleasure. The Basil II was only my second miliaresion, this John I Tzimisces (969-976) was my first:

While these have some heft in hand, they're also small enough that the engraving is quite charming. I encourage those of you who haven't been able to get into Byzantine to try a miliaresion. Hey, from a certain point of view, it's Greek silver, isn't it? I think these may be the gateway drug...

6) At first glance (well, not really... I struggle to ID Islamic coins) this appears to be a 1/4 dinar of the Fatimid caliph al-'Aziz, 975-996 (AH 365-386), Siqilliya (Sicily) mint:

It is actually an imitation, however, probably produced in one of the Lombard states of southern Italy around the time of the first appearance of Normans in the area, who were destined to take over and drive the Fatimids out of Sicily. The tensions among the Lombards, Fatimids, Byzantines, Normans, and northern Italians make for fascinating history of a region in transition. I have a lot more research to do on this coin, which is one of the reasons I love it. Plus it's gold, and I got it in a group lot at 16 bucks per coin! (Though my proportionally weighted cost for this was close to 100.)

5) Justin II (565-578) half siliqua, Carthage, issued 567-574:

I was pleased to obtain an example of this rare western coin, my only half siliqua. (It seems to have been a year of Byzantine silver for me.) I'm not sure if the portrait's resemblance to Mick Jagger is a good thing or a bad thing, but I like it. (While it's easy to get a full-length depiction of this emperor with his queen Sophia, a decent bust is more difficult unless you go for gold.)

4) Abbasid Revolution (744-751), AR dirham of 'Abd Allah b. Mu'awiya, Jayy mint, AH 129 (746-7). Album 206.1.

Here's another rare coin issued in the tumultuous period which saw the Abbasids overthrow the established Umayyad caliphate based in Damascus. 'Abd Allah b. Mu'awiya was not a supporter of the Abbasids, though... he was the leader of the Aliid/Shia faction, and a descendant of Ali's brother (Muhammad's son in law). After he gained control of much of Persia, the Umayyads managed to defeat him, and he fled to the Abbasids only to be executed. However, without his revolt the Umayyads would not have had to divide their attention, and the Abbasid revolution may well have failed. This coin is much nicer in hand than the photo indicates.

3) Philippicus (711-713), follis of Constantinople

The emperors around 700 are tough to get, so I was very happy to snag a nice portrait of Philippicus, despite there being not much legend left on this coin. The history surrounding the coin is another reason to like it, I wrote a bit about that here.

2) Anglo-Saxon sceat, Kent, issued c. 710 under king Wihtred (c. 690-725):

This tiny (11.8 mm, 1.11g), toned silver coin is a charmer. (Note that the dotted circle on the reverse is actually a snake biting its tail.) I'm fascinated by the mysterious early middle ages, as Roman institutions were either upheld or destroyed by various invaders. Kent was one of the earliest Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, with a predominantly Jutish elite. Around 600, its king was also the first to convert to Christianity, under the influence of the famous Augustine of Canterbury, sent by Pope Gregory the Great. (Thus the location the English archbishopric.) Wihtred, who may have been a descendant of the famous (and possibly legendary) Hengist, established a peaceful reign after a series of troubles, including usurpers and an invasion from Wessex, in the late 600s. It was a high point of the Kentish kingdom, which was subjected to Mercian overlordship during the reign of his son Æðelberht II. It's a shame that Anglo-Saxon coinage is typically so expensive! (This one wasn't.)

1) Milan: Gian Galeazzo Visconti, 1st Duke of Milan (1395-1402), AR grosso with coat of arms/St. Ambrose:

OK, even those of you with no interest in medieval have to admit this coin is super cool. It is not every day that you see a coin featuring a dragon eating somebody! This "biscione" of obscure origin is the Visconti coat of arms, still associated with Milan and even found in Alfa Romeo's logo:

A similar coin belonging to Stevex6 inspired me to get this. The associated history is cool too. From his original small base in Pavia, Visconti used both guile and force of arms to take over a large portion of northern Italy. After paying 100,000 gold florins to the German king for the title Duke of Milan, he died in the process of trying to extend his dominion over Florence and Bologna.

Hopefully there's something on that list that you like. Post anything related, and three cheers for Medieval!!

 

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Some great coins, it's posts like this are gradually changing my collecting interests, like them all but the first two (10,9) are simply terrific.

 

Excellent... come to the inner circle of the Sith, the darkest of the dark side (though we never say "the dark ages", no, no no!)

Thanks AA!

 

Great coins, SA. I like the #9, #2, & #1 best.

 

Those are some fantastic coins @Severus Alexander The AR grosso of Milan is amazing. I can't really put into words how floored I am by the coin. Also, I am a big fan of your two miliaresions. I've got John I, but would love to acquire Basil II.

 

Thanks, that means a lot coming from you. Would love to see your John here!

 

#8 is wonderful. My Miliaresion

Romanus I
931 to 945 AD
Mint: Constantinople
AR Miliaresion
Obvs: IhSЧS XRIStЧS nICA, Cross potent on three steps with cross beneath. At center oval medallion of Romanus, RW left and MA right.
Revs: +ROMANO CONSTANt StЄFAnOS CЄCONSTA ЄnWbR in five lines.
23mm, 2.85g
Ref: Sear 1755

 

Nicely done SA. That's pretty impressive you were able to compile a top ten medieval and it's not even your collecting focus! I agree with your number 1. That man devouring dragon is pretty awesome. I can see why you (and Steve) would like it!

I think I would have switched #5 and #8 since I really like the look of the Leo IV follis and if I am not mistaken that is a pretty beefy coin in hand?

Still like the Justin II though. Here is my example of his:

 

@Severus Alexander, these coins are superb! I like them all but my favorites of the group are numbers, 10, 1, 6 and 9 in that order. Congratulations on a great year of collecting and thank you for showing us your coins.

 

So many interesting and lovely posts....As usual, these threads make me want to (once again) move into medieval types. I almost pulled the trigger on a few 'Crusader issues' this morning despite already exceeding this months coin budget

 

Wow, very nice coins. I like the Basill II the best.

 

That's a nice Romanus @David@PCC, great portrait. @Curtisimo, the Leo follis is only 5.16g and 22.5mm, so not too big... still, it does feel nice! (And you know I love the colours on your follis!)

The Basil II is very popular, good to see... but I'm glad @LaCointessa gave one of the Islamic(ish) coins some love! Will anyone speak up for #4?

Last chance to rationalize a purchase as part of an over-indulgent 2017! (I actually snagged a coin yesterday that was just a wee bit too early to make this list, but will be on my "Top 10 Best Portraits"...)

 

Great @Severus Alexander! We have another list coming - portraits! Cool!

 

Gorgeous miliaresions! I also quite like the Tari - I’m afraid I can’t help with attribution, but I just went through my Norman catalogue and it wasn’t in there (so I’d say you are on the right track with a Lonmbard immitation)

 

Beautiful coins, SA! Really love your interest in Byzantine coinage. My favourites of your favourites are #9, 8 and 7. Especially #8, as you can see many members of the Very Late Roman Imperial family on it. Also, it was a very turbulent period, and that coin is in excellent condition. Gorgeous!

 

Unusual selection, but great coins. Splendid grosso

Q

 

That Follis of Leo IV is just too much . Where did you pick up that one? It is just outstanding with an equally outstanding pedigree! The other coins aren't too shabby either! Great selection of coins...

 

Second that question!

 

Thanks for looking into this for me! Apparently there is an article on Fatimid imitations by Nicol in vol. 10 of the Israel Numismatic Society Journal. I need to get my hands on this, but can't find it anywhere... I'm thinking the distinctive perfect circles in the script may help nail this down.

 

@Quant.Geek and @Caesar_Augustus: Glad you likey! That follis came from a Sincona sale in May that focused on Byzantine. #7, #5, & #3 also came from that sale. (It was good to me!)