Cheers to the top 10 coins of 2017!

That is a beautiful Top 10 @Quant.Geek ! Great strikes, great detail, great eye! I am drawn to the Bruttium and the Legio IX

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

That is a nice strike on that follis! I am still missing a few coins from Michael II that I am looking for. But, 2017 was definitely the year of Michael II wrt Byzantine coins:

Byzantine Empire: Michael II the Amorian (821-829 CE) Æ Follis, Constantinople (Sear 1642; DOC 9-11)

Obv: mIXAHL S Θ ЄOFILOS; Crowned facing busts of Michael, wearing chlamys, and Theophilus, wearing loros; cross above
Rev: Large M; cross above, X/X/X to left, N/N/N to right, Θ below




Byzantine Empire: Michael II the Amorian (820-829) Æ Follis, Syracuse (Sear 1652; DOC 21; Anastasi 513)

Obv: mIXA-HL ΘEOF; Two busts facing, Michael on left, bearded, wearing chlamys and crown with cross, Theophilus on right, beardless, wearing loros and crown with cross
Rev: Large M; cross above, Θ below

 

Spectacular group, thanks for posting!!

I, for one, would love to see your top 10 Byzantine that didn't make this list... what else, besides those two Mike II's?

 

Since you asked . I acquired about 130 Byzantine coins in 2017 and that doesn't include the lots I mentioned in an earlier thread. These are individual, coin purchases. So, I'll post the top ones that I haven't posted already in random order...

_________________________________________________________
Byzantine Empire: Heraclius (610-641 CE) Æ 6 Nummi, Alexandria (Sear-864; DOC 200; MIB 211)

Obv: Large S
Rev: Palm tree with dates



_________________________________________________________

Byzantine Empire: Leo IV the Khazar (775-780) Æ Follis, Constantinople (Sear-1586; DOC 4)

Obv: Crowned facing busts of Leo IV and Constantine VI, each wearing chlamys; cross in field above
Rev: Crowned facing busts of Leo III and Constantine V each wearing loros, set on horizontal bar; B A across field; below, M above A, flanked by X and N



_________________________________________________________

Byzantine Empire: Michael VIII Palaeologus (1261-1282) Æ Trachy, Thessalonica (Sear 2301; DOC 161)

Obv: Winged patriarchal cross
Rev: Michael, holding labarum, and St. Demetrius, holding spear, standing facing, both grasping sword; large 8-point star above



_________________________________________________________
Byzantine Empire: Justinian I (527-565 CE) Æ Pentanummium, Theoupolis (Sear 242; DOC 269; MIBE 142)

Obv: Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Large Є with cross at center



_________________________________________________________
Byzantine Empire: Anastasius I (491-518 CE) AV Tremissis, Constantinople (Sear 8; DOC 10; MIBE 12)

Obv: DN ANASTASIVS PP AVG; pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM; Victory advancing right, head left, holding wreath and cross on globe, star to right; CONOB in exergue



_________________________________________________________
Byzantine Empire: Justin I (518-527 CE) Æ Pentanummium, Antioch (Sear 111; DOC 57)

Obv: DN IVSTINVS PP AV; diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev: Tyche of Antioch, turreted, seated left within columned shrine with half submerged figure of river-god Orontes swimming at her feet, retrograde Є to left



_________________________________________________________
Byzantine Empire: Justinian I (527-565) Æ Follis, Nicomedia (Sear 199; DOC 110; MIBE 105)

Obv: Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Large M; cross above and flanking, B below; NIKM in exergue



_________________________________________________________

Byzantine Empire: Tiberius II Constantine (578-582 CE) Æ Follis, Theopolis, RY 8 (Sear 448; DOC 44; MIBE 47)

Obv: Crowned facing bust, wearing consular robes, holding mappa and eagle-tipped scepter
Rev: Large M; cross above, date across field; tHЄUP' in exergue



_________________________________________________________


Byzantine Empire: Justinian I (527-565) Æ Follis, Constantinople, RY 13 (Sear 163; DOC 38b; MIBE 95a)

Obv: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG; Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger and shield; cross to right
Rev: Large M; date across field, cross above, B below; CON in exergue



_________________________________________________________



Byzantine Empire: Justinian I (527-565) Æ Follis, Theoupolis, RY 21 (Sear 220; DOC 218e; MIBE 145c)

Obv: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG; Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger and shield; cross to right
Rev: Large M; date across field, cross above, date across field, cross above, Є below; QHЧΠ in exergue, pellet above Π



_________________________________________________________
Byzantine Empire: Justinian I (527-565) Æ Follis, Theoupolis, RY 25 (Sear 221; DOC 221; MIBE 146)

Obv: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG; Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger and shield; cross to right
Rev: Large M; date across field, cross above, date across field, cross above, B below; τHЧΠ in exergue



_________________________________________________________

Byzantine Empire: Justin I (518-527 CE) Æ Follis, Thessalonica (Sear-78; DOC 23; MIBE 70)

Obv: DN IVSTINVS PP AVG; Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Large M; cross above, star to left and right; THЄSSOB in exergue



_________________________________________________________


Byzantine Empire: Manuel I Comnenus (1143-1180 CE) Tetarteron, Constantinople (Sear-1968)

Obv: MP-ΘV; Virgin Hagiosoritissa, nimbate, wearing pallium and maphorium, standing slightly right, raising hands to Manus Dei to upper right
Rev: ΜΑΝVΗΛ-ΔЄCΠΟΤΗC; Manuel, bearded, standing facing, wearing crown, divitision, loros and sagion, cruciform sceptre in right hand, akakia in left



_________________________________________________________


Byzantine Empire: Romanus IV Diogenes (1068-1071 CE) AV Histamenon Nomisma, Constantinople (Sear 1859; DOC 1)

Obv: + PΩMAN.-ЄVΔKΠCH; central figure of nimbate Christ, standing facing on dais, reaching up with both hands to crown Romanus (on left), and Eudocia (on right), each wearing crown and loros and holding globus cruciger with inner hand; IC-XC across fields
Rev: KΩN-MX-ANΔ; three figures of Michael VII (in center), Constantius (on left) and Andronicus (on right) standing facing on circular cushions, each crowned and wearing saccos and loros; Michael holding transverse jeweled vexillum in right hand and akakia in left, the other two each holding globus cruciger in outer hand and akakia in inner hand




_________________________________________________________


Byzantine Empire: Maurice Tiberius (582-602 AD) Æ Pentanummium, Antioch (Sear-540; MIB-104)

Obv: Sear Monogram 16 of Maurice Tiberius
Rev: Large Ч, pellet within, cross above

 

Wow. Those are just phenomenal. What an incredible run of pentanummi, plus the Heraclian six. I have never seen a better portrait style of Anastasius than on your tremissis, the Thessalonican Justin is amazing, and I have been on the hunt for both a Romanus IV histamenon like that, as well as the Tib II Antioch follis. Well done sir, your Byzantine collection must be incredible!

 

+1

 

Thanks. There is still a lot of coins that I have to attribute properly, but you can see the full run here:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4910

 

Thanks! I now have that page open and will go through it slowly and carefully in my spare time. What fun!

 

Those are magnificent! Wow, I especially love the monogram on the Maurice Pentanummium. Wow, beautiful coins, Quant, truly, in all truth, beautiful.

 

Thanks @Severus Alexander, @Bing and @Caesar_Augustus! I have been mainly concentrating on the nummis and trachys lately, but with an occasional follis. That Pentanummium was meant to complement its siblings that are posted below. Its elusive sibling, Sear 541 is in a private collection and hence is nowhere to be found (currently). It has a different monogram on the obverse, but the same reverse as 539/540. The monogram looks like this:



Byzantine Empire: Maurice Tiberius (582-602 AD) Æ Pentanummium, Antioch (Sear-539; MIB-103)

Obv: Sear Monogram 15 of Maurice Tiberius
Rev: Large Ч, pellet within, cross above




Byzantine Empire: Maurice Tiberius (582-602 CE) AE pentanummium, Antioch (Sear-542; ; MIB-105)

Obv: Sear Monogram 17 of Maurice Tiberius
Rev: Large E, cross to right

 

The one below is one my favorite coins of yours. I think we were both bidding on it on Vcoins Auction about 3 months ago, Congrats on the great win:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=5174&pos=23

 

Sorry about that! That is also one of my favorites

 

Glad to see it in good hands, this one, by the way, as well; I was the runner up

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=5140&pos=52

 

WOW!!!

Huge congrats @Quant.Geek !! ALL of your coins are spectacular, not only the top 10 but all of your subsequent posts....each one simply gorgeous with terrific and interesting devices!!

 

I have a question about this coin QG, Can you provide a better description ( I know it is in a case) of the area on the Virgin side bellow the MP, to the left of her dress?

I have another example on route to me with also a different marking in the same spot. I had not seen it before , it does not show in DOC examples nor in CLBC. I wonder if it is a mint mark?

 

I suspect it is an overstrike, but let me take a picture with my macro lens to be sure. Definitely post your coin so that we can exchange notes

 

Ram, sorry for the delay but I have been traveling, I came home to this beauty. Look to the left of the virgin, I have never seen that before, I noticed yours had something similar

SBCV-1968 20.53mm I did not do weight yet.