Leu Auction wins...fortunately I was able to acquire an AR Miliaresion of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Romanus I, and Christopher. My second coin was an AV Histamenon Nomisma of Constantine X Dukas. Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, with Romanus I and Christopher, 913-959. Miliaresion. Constantine was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, and the nephew of his predecessor Emperor Alexander. He was known as a scholar and the epithet "born in the purple" refers to his birthplace in the Imperial chamber adorned with the purple stone porphyry. Much of his reign was covered by regencies, first under his mother and later under Romanus I. (AR, 25 mm, 3.15 g, 12 h), Constantinople. IҺSЧS XRISTЧS ҺICA Cross potent set on three steps; below, globe. Rev. +ROmAҺO' / XPISTOFOR' / CЄ COҺSTAҺ' / ЄҺ X'ω ЄVSЄ/b' bASIL' R' in five lines. DOC 18. SB 1754. Constantine X Ducas, 1059-1067. He was the founder and first ruling member of the short-lived Doukid dynasty. During his reign, the Normans took over much of the remaining Byzantine territories in Italy while in the Balkans the Hungarians occupied Belgrade. He also suffered defeats by the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan. Somewhat unhealthy throughout his reign, he died in 1067 at the age of 61. AV Histamenon Nomisma. (AV, 28 mm, 4.41 g, 5 h), Constantinople. +IhS XIS RЄX RЄςNANTҺIm Christ, nimbate, seated facing on square-backed throne, wearing tunic and pallium, raising his right hand in benediction and holding book of Gospels in his left. Rev. +KωN RAC Λ O ΔOVKAC Constantine X standing facing, wearing crown and loros, holding labarum in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left. DOC 1a. SB 1847. Needless to say I am happy with the two coins and one of my focus areas of 2021 is Byzantine gold. Please share any Byzantine gold and silver coins!
Very nice follis @Andres2 ! Admittedly I was surprised at the brisk bidding for the folles, but you got a great example with very little wear.
Great wins. You will never get tired of quality Byzantine coins! As requested, here is one Byzantine silver and one gold.
Congrats @ancient coin hunter ! Great coins indeed! The Leu 15 offered a big section of Byzantine gold coins. I had a fragile hope I would get two, but instead I ended up with the coin that I wanted: Anastasius I, 491-518. Solidus (), Constantinopolis, circa 507-518. Obverse: D N ANASTASIVS P P AVG Pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust of Anastasius I facing, his head turned slightly to right, holding spear in his right hand and with a shield, decorated with a horseman, over his left shoulder. Reverse: VICTORIA AVGGG A / CONOB Victory standing front, head to left, holding long jeweled staff surmounted by inverted Chi-Rho in her right hand; in field to left, star. Reference: DOC 7a. MIB 7. SB 5. Gold, 20 mm, 4.47 g, 6 h A very attractive example. Good extremely fine. It was a stiff price from an emperor known to have left a lot of gold coins behind, but it looks like an unusually well made one. I’m really looking forward to examining it in hand.
Lovely pick ups. I had an intention to get a Miliaresion at this auction, but spent my budget on another coin last week!
Nice pick up, congrats! Andronicus II Palaeologus, 1282-1328. AV Hyperpyron Nomisma. Constantinople mint, 1282-1294. Obverse: Bust of the Virgin orans within the city walls furnished with six groups of towers; in lower field, CZ-ZC sigla. Reverse: ANΔPO/NIKOC E/ XΩ T C/IΛIΠ/TICO IC/XC Andronicus on left, nimbate and kneeling right blessed by Christ standing facing on right, with decorated nimbus, holding Book of Gospels; between them fleur-de-lis; to right, C/N. Reference: DOC 225 var (sigla). PCPC 91B Sigla 77 var. SB 2326. 25mm, 4.28g
Very cool, @Pavlos. The imagery is very evocative of a c. 10th-century, Macedonian-era mosaic in the Hagia Sophia. (This picture from https://madainproject.com/hagia_sophia_mosaics.)
I won several coins but this Justinian follis is currently my favorite. I look forward to seeing it in hand. Congrats on your beautiful wins @ancient coin hunter
a.c.h. The gold histamenon nomisma is a beauty ! The Christ image shows some doubling but the rest of the obverse is crystal clear. Great image of the emperor on the reverse.
BenSi, Nice score on the 40 nummi coin ! Is this an early strike ? You usually don't see profile views of Justinian on 40 nummi coins of Antioch.
Yeah @Al Kowsky I liked the coin as well. It's interesting to me that the weight of the Nomisma in this case was 4.48 grams, pretty close to solidi at around 4.4 grams.
Awesome coin!!! This is such an interesting type, unlike any thing else. The emperor in proskynesis before another...such a type could surely only be with Christian coinage. This humble act would have viewed as quite pious by the emperor's subjects and was perhaps a plea of the emperor for God to intercede and save his crumbling empire...if it was as such, it didn't work Also, was this the example from Naiville a few months back?
a.c.h., I believe the official weight of the solidus as established by Constantine I was 4.54 gm, but you rarely see solidi that heavy.
Indeed, the interesting type is what got me to buy this coin. Since then I became more and more hooked with the Komnenoi and Palaiologoi. It is indeed an act of proskynesis to Jesus/god, and he is definitely paying homage to him.