Oh Constans II, what have you done?!!?

Been spending my time with the follis of Constans II (and its corresponding Arab-Byzantine coins). Got more to say about this later, but his coins are a mess and that is an understatement. Here is a recent coin that I picked up and I can use a pair of extra eyes. It seems to be an overstruck coin between Constans II Sear 1004 and one of his other folles. Can anyone help with the reverse? Its such a mess and I would like to determine the regal year and the correct orientation. I have almost gave up.

 

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paging @dougsmit - I think you may be able to help

 

The year and work shop look obliterated to me. I can't tell you which reverse you have but I do share your pain with these. I purchased a pile of these, only a few dozen pictured here

I've worked out most but still have many unidentifed, some probably unpublished. Those years were a mess of poorly struck and crude imitations. I think I even had a few that were triple struck!

 

I am thinking about taking the challenge as there have been so many Constans II coins that were misidentified as Arab-Byzantine and vise-versa. I suspect there is going to be a class of coins that are going to be identified as new variations of Constans II and a class of coins that are going to be identified as new Arab-Byzantine coins. It needs to be done and I have a few references to go by, so I am not going into this blindly. Would love to see your coins digitized and grouped . Might go handy with your Seleucid site ...

 

I've tried many references including all at the A.N.A, the imitation varieties seem endless.
I choose the name allcoinage for a reason and would like to do an extensive Byzantine section in the future. Here is one from that lot.

 

These are tough... I know little about the coins of this period. I bought one for a couple dollars thinking it would be a fun puzzle but it has sat in my "to do" pile for over a year. Poor thing. Anyway... here's mine. Any thoughts?

 

The problem with some of these coins are the overstrikes which causes even more confusion on an already confusing series. I don't think your coin in an Arab-Byzantine, but a regular Byzantine coin with an overstrike. There are remnants of another legend around. A good clean-up would probably identify the culprit as a variant of the following:

Byzantine Empire: Constans II (641-668) Æ Follis, Constantinople, RY2 (Sear 1001; DOC 61a; MIBE 163a)

Obv: ЄNTϪT ONIKA; Constans standing, facing, beardless, wearing chlamys and crown with cross; In right hand, long cross, in left, globus cruciger
Rev: Large M; above ANA, to left, O/Φ/A, to right, N/Є/O/ς; in exergue, to left A, to right II
Dim: 23mm, 4.10 g

 

You have the A/X group of Class IV Arab Bzantine follis. The legend is quite clear on the reverse left. There are several different types of this particular coin. I don't have my resources handy at the moment, so I'll respond back with a more complete attribution...

 

I feel your pain - but I do like these Constans II's. Here are 3 I got in an unattributed lot. I think 2 of them are Arab imitations, but I am not sure.

 

Lets start with the bottom first. The exergue is wiped out, so I don't know what the regal year is. The design changed for RY12-15:

Byzantine Empire: Constans II (641-668) Æ Follis, Constantinople, RY14 (Sear 1007; DOC 72; MIBE 170b)

Obv: ЄNTϪT ONIKA; Constans standing, facing, bearded, wearing chlamys and crown with cross; In right hand, long cross, in left, globus cruciger
Rev: Large M; above star, beneath Є, to left, A/N/A, to right, N/Є/O/ς; in exergue, XIIII



The other two, due to the legends being obscure, it's harder, but I would suspect that they are Arab-Byzantine coins.

 

Thank you so much, QG! I really appreciate it - and was pleased to see my "guesstimates" were lining up with your expertise. Here are the attributions I came up with last month when I was sweating over these. The bottom Arab-Byz imitation is rather heavy (5+ grams), I thought:



Constans II Æ Follis
(c. 662 A.D.)
Constantinople Mint
EN [TVTO NIKA], Constans, with long beard, standing facing holding cross & cross on globe /Large M, Officina B, [ANA] left, star above, NEO right, [date XXII-XXU] below.
SB 1007, DOC 70-73.
(2.43 grams / 20 mm)


Pseudo-Byzantine Æ Follis
"Close Imitation" from Early Caliphate after Constans II,
(c. 647-670 A.D.)
[EN TɣTO NIKA] Standing imperial figure, with long cross & globus cruciger / m, star above, AɸA left, ONΔ right; Є retrograde below; illegible inscription in ex.
C.Foss #8 p.124
(2.58 grams / 21 x 18 mm)
(Desert patina)


Pseudo-Byzantine Æ Follis
after Constans II, 641-668 A.D.
(c. 670s-690s A.D.)
Uncertain Syria/Palestine Mint before 'Abdalmalik's reforms
Standing imperial figure holding long cross in right hand and globus cruciger in left / Cursive M, A/ Є left, [A/N/N/]O right, [star above, blundered legend in ex.?]
(5.03 grams / 22 mm)
(Glossy black patina)

 

I have to go grab a copy of Foss and all of my other physical references are packed away and thus a bit crippled with just my digital references.

The series is in a need of a desperate documentation and it shouldn't be this difficult, at least, with the classification of the various types. Full attribution with issuing authority, date, etc. can always come later.

I have no intention of documenting ALL of the various Byzantine Imitations/Official, but I want to start with the Constans II types, which are the most varied type...

By the way, be careful with the regal years as the design changed, yet again during RY 15/16:

Byzantine Empire: Constans II (641-668) Æ Follis, Constantinople, RY15 (Sear 1008; DOC 75a; MIBE 172c)

Obv: ЄNTϪT ONIKA; Constans standing, facing, bearded, wearing chlamys and crown with cross; In right hand, long cross, in left, globus cruciger
Rev: Large M, beneath A; above ✴, to left, KШN, to right, CTAN; in exergue XЧ
Dim: 19mm, 2.98 g

 

I would be delighted to see a centralized, systematic source for these - you have my enthusiastic encouragement for such a project! I've been collecting these for about 2 months now, so I am at the beginning of a very steep learning curve.

My own "attributions" for Arab-Byzantine coins come from trolling around auctions and retail sale sites. If I find one that looks sorta like mine, I go with that attribution. I am sure I am missing a great deal of information and getting a lot of things wrong.

While we're on the topic, I want to again share my favorite - one with a countermark (and my efforts at attribution) - here is the auction I got all this info from: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1325334



Umayyad Caliphate Æ Fals
Arab-Byzantine Imperial Type
(c. 680s-700 A.D.)
Baalbek (Heliopolis) Mint
Two standing figures, each with cruciform scepter, cross between / Large M; cross (no pellets) inverted crescent below, [H]/Λ/I/OΥ left, H/O/Λ.Є right, ba‘labakk in exergue
(4.18 grams / 18 mm)

Attribution Notes:

Album 3513.2; DOCAB 62 var. (all without pellets).

Countermark: A incuse in 5mm circle reverse. Similar to CNG Electronic Auction 282, Lot 414: "A within circular incuse...from the J. S. Wagner Collection"

 

Each type adds more complexity and even though I have a few of these types, I haven't spent the time to analyze the types, unfortunately. I suspect your attribution is correct, though...

 

True only 30% or so were imitations. The one I posted is certainly unpublished and resembles this coin that has a cross bar on the M.

Constans II
647/648 AD
Mint: Constantinople
AE Follis
Obvs: (ЄN T T)O (NIKA), Constans holding cross and gl. Cr.
Revs: Cross bar on large M, NЄOζ right. Double exergual line, A below.
19x22mm, 3.8g
Ref: cf DOC 66b, SB --
Note: This officina not listed, unpublished.

 

See Numismatic Circular 1997, pages 198-200 as Simon Bendall has published this variety as DOC Class 4 type "cursive m" with a cross-bar. It has a regal year of 7 on these coins, with a corresponding "K" above. If you find the article, please pass it along...

 

Fantastic! What reference is 2299.88, is that Bendall's number? I will have to weigh it to see how close it is to the 4 1/2 gram weight. I couldn't find that sucker anywhere. Thanks!
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw3C7iEfRlKQQqLXinZw2JvG

 

That is from the "Early Byzantine Copper Coins" which can be downloaded from:

https://www.byzantine-ae.info/

The numbering system is the author's and its his notes that pointed to Bendall. The numbering is a bit off as it should have been 2299.18. The author amassed an outstanding collection which includes several rare coins. Its one of my reference sources among others. I just need to find that reference article...

 

If it wasn't $65 I would buy it.