Byzantine Empire AV Solidus ND Constantinople Mint 20mm. 4.42g. Constantine IV Pogonatus with Heraclius/ Tiberius Diademed/ helmeted/ cuirassed bust/ facing/ holding spear/ shield Cross Potent on three steps/ flanked by Tiberius/ Heraclius I will be back to work doing lawns tomorrow....
John, Congratulations on winning this handsome solidus of Constantine IV, it appears to be in M.S. condition . Constantine IV is best known for his tremendous naval victory over the Arabs in AD 674. The Byzantines attacked the Arabs with fast moving ships using "Greek Fire" for the 1st time, & the Arabs were burned alive on their own ships ! The Arabs then agreed to pay an annual tribute of 50 slaves, 50 horses, & 3,000 pounds of gold .
What a beauty! Congratulations on getting such a wonderful example. The portraiture on C. IV's gold varies so much in style, from the cartoonish to the more careful modelling of the coinage towards the end of the reign and continued into the first issues of his son Justinian II. Here's one of mine, from 681-685. Hahn 10; Sear 1157. 4.31 gr. 19 mm. 6 hr. Ex Hunt Coll. Sotheby's 6/21/91, lot 58.
Nice addition @panzerman I've always liked the solidi of Constantine IV because they harken back to 4th and 5th century portraits of helmeted emperors on Roman solidi.
Thanks everyone! Today was my first day back on the job, felt really nice working outdoors on a sunny day Still was a bit of snow here and there. John
Thanks Al! Its one of the rare times that I won a coin that was my first pick from a auction. I usually end up being outbid and end up with second choice or worse. I was happy to get it for a bid of 900 euros
Depends, rare butterflies/ moths/ beetles prices range from few bucks to 50K for certain rarities/ extinct ssp./ sp.
Thanks, yes I love history, esp. military. My favorite WW2 tanks are the Tiger variants/ Panther/ JagdTiger/ JagdPanther.....these cats where engineered way ahead of their time. All where designed by Porsche/ car fame.