I purchased this from another member 6 years and 1 month ago today. It’s a Christ Follis Coin, circa 1020-1028. The mint is unknown but maybe Thessalonica. The obverse is a bust of Christ facing forward. The reverse reads and this is hard to type: IhSYS/XRISTYS/bASILEY/bASILE on four lines, ornament above and below.
I just got this one in mail yesterday from @John Anthony...now I have four anonymous folles in my collection, though this is the largest in flan size and weight, approaching a sestertius. I took a photo in the sunshine... BYZANTINE EMPIRE. Time of Basil II and Constantine VIII, 976-1025 - a time when Byzantium was flexing its military muscles... Æ anonymous follis, class A2; 14.9g, 36 mm, 6h, Constantinople mint. Obv.: + EMMANOVHL, facing bust of Christ, wears nimbus cruciger ornamented in each limb of cross, pallium and colobium, Gospels in both hands, to left IC, to right XC; Rev.: + IhSuS / XRISTuS / bASILEu / bASILE (Jesus Christ King of Kings), ornamentation above and below. Ref.: SBCV 1813.
The reverse of your coin has a blundered legend : +IhSuIS / XRISTIuS / etc... These folles are often like this : a very good style obverse representing the icon of the Pantocrator and the legend +ЄMMANOVHΛ in good Greek script, and reverses struck with awkwardly carved dies, with blundered legends mixing Greek and Latin script, sometimes as curious as this one (could the celator only read?):
AE Anonymous Follis Class A2 - Smyrna 1971 - Minted at Constantinople during the reign of Basil II and Constantine VIII between 10 January 976 - 11 November 1028. Obv. +EMMANOVHA.: (GOD IS WITH US) Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cr. (with two pellets in each limb of cross), pallium and colobium, and holding book of Gospels (the cover ornamented with central pellets in border of dots) with both hands; to l., IC; to r., XC (JESUS CHRIST) Rev. +IhSuS/XRISTuS/bASILEy/bASILE.: (JESUS CHRIST, KING OF KINGS) in four lines. BCVS #1813. CBE #4 pg. 217.
Here are a couple of anonymous folles from group lots. As such they are rough in appearance, pretty close to how they looked coming out of the ground, or wherever they spent the past 1,000 + years. Romanus III or Michael IV, 1028-1041 Anonymous follis, class B 10.72 grams Nicephorus III, 1078-1081 Anonymous follis, class I 5.86 grams
AE Anonymous Follis Class B - Smyrna 1971 - Minted at Constantinople and attributed to Romulus III between 12 November 1028 - 11 April 1034. Obv. +EMMANOVHA.: (GOD IS WITH US) Bust of Christ facing, with square in each limb of nimbus cross and pellet in each upper quarter, and the book of Gospels is ornamented with :.:. Rev. Cross, with pellet at each extremity, stg. on three steps; in field. above transverse limbs of cross, IS-XS; beneath limbs, bAS--ILE/bAS--ILE.: BCVS #1823. CBE #3 pg. 225.
C. Nut, Nice score . Everyone who collects Byzantine coins need an example of this coin type . I've bought & sold many example of this coin type over the years, but the one pictured below I decided to keep .
The portraits understandably get most of the attention. Really fascinating coins. An underappreciated point, I think, is that these coins are not really "anonymous" but - from a medieval perspective - struck solely in the name of the emperor's feudal overlord, the "King of Kings", Jesus Christ.
Exact ! Looking again I can see you're right, it is just doublestriking ! Thank you for your eagle eyes.
