Here are my Byzantine coins. These are group photos, showing all of the coins, in a single 1-compartment Abafil tray. This allows one, to compare the relative sizes of the coins. The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire. The history of the Byzantine Empire is long, complex, and interesting. The Byzantine Empire survived for almost 1000 years, after the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, until its final defeat in 1453 AD. My Byzantine coins span a history of 936 years, from 512 AD to 1448 AD. There were 82 Byzantine Emperors. I have coins of 25 of the Byzantine Emperors. All but 2 of my Byzantine coins are either bronze or "billon" bronze. However, some of my billon bronze Byzantine coins, still have a visible silver coating. Only 2 of my Byzantine coins are non-billon silver. None of my Byzantine coins are electrum or gold. However, Byzantine gold coins, and Byzantine electrum coins, and Byzantine silver coins, are also very interesting. It's interesting, how the Byzantine coins changed, over the centuries. It's also interesting, how the Byzantine Empire itself changed, over the centuries. As the centuries unwound, the Byzantine Empire became less and less Roman, and more and more Greek. However, the Byzantine Empire always thought of itself as "Roman", and never called itself "Byzantine". The Byzantine Empire was always a Christian empire. The Byzantine Empire was on the southeastern edge of Europe, and, to varying degrees, northern Africa and the Middle East. The Byzantine Empire fought many wars against various Middle Eastern empires, which had various beliefs about the Afterlife, such as the Sassanian Empire (Zoroastrian), the Rashidun Caliphate (Muslim), the Umayyad Caliphate (Muslim), the Abbasid Caliphate (Muslim), the Seljuk Empire (Muslim), the Mongol Empire (Shamanist, Tengrist, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Taoist, etc), and the Ottoman Empire (Muslim). Other European countries, occasionally provided aid to the Byzantine Empire, in wars against the Middle Eastern empires, such as during the Crusades. However, the Byzantine Empire also fought many wars against other European countries, and Constantinople was sacked by the Crusaders in 1204 AD. The Byzantine Empire suffered many crushing defeats, when only the huge Theodosian walls prevented Constantinople itself from being taken. And yet, the Byzantine Empire survived, again and again. For some of the coins, I chose to show the reverse side of the coin, in the "obverse" photo, because I like to view the reverse side of certain coins. If you would like to post any of your Byzantine coins or artifacts or artwork etc, or any information related to the Byzantine Empire, or any corrections to any of the information in this post, or any questions, or any suggestions, or any comments, then I would be interested to see it. Low Resolution Photos (click on the photos, to zoom in) : High Resolution Photos (click on the photos, to zoom in) : Coin 1 : Anastasius I : AE 40 Nummi Follis Large Module. 512 AD To 518 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 19. 32 mm. 15.33 grams. Obverse Anastasius I Bust Facing Right. Reverse Large M Mint "CON" Officina A. Coin 2 : Justinian I The Great : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 527 AD To 538 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 158. DO 28c. 31 mm. 18.25 grams. Obverse Justinian I Bust Facing Right. Reverse Large M Mint "CON" Officina Gamma. Coin 3 : Justinian I The Great : AE 40 Nummi Follis. Regnal Year 12. 538 AD To 539 AD. Nicomedia Mint. Sear 201. DO 116b.1. 44 mm. 21.73 grams. Obverse Justinian I Bust Facing Front. Reverse Large M Mint "NIK" Officina B. Coin 4 : Justinian I The Great : AE 40 Nummi Follis. Regnal Year 13. 539 AD To 540 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 163. 40 mm. 23.02 grams. Obverse Justinian I Bust Facing Front. Reverse Large M Mint "CON" Officina E. Coin 5 : Justin II : AE 40 Nummi Follis. Regnal Year 9. 573 AD To 574 AD. Nicomedia Mint. Sear 369. DO 99b. 30 mm. 13.32 grams. Obverse Justin I And Sophia Seated On Thrones Facing Front. Reverse Large M Mint "NIKO" Officina A. Coin 6 : Tiberius II : AE 40 Nummi Follis. Regnal Year 5. 578 AD To 579 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 430. 36 mm. 17.64 grams. Obverse Tiberius II Bust Facing Front Cross On Crown Holding Mappa And Eagle Tipped Scepter Cross Above Eagle. Reverse Large Lower Case M Mint "CON" Officina E. Coin 7 : Maurice Tiberius : AE 40 Nummi Follis. Regnal Year 3. 584 AD To 585 AD. Antioch/Theopolis Mint. Sear 532. 28 mm. 12.7 grams. Obverse Maurice Tiberius Bust Facing Front Trefoil On Crown Holding Mappa And Eagle Tipped Scepter. Reverse Large Lower Case M Mint "THEUP". Coin 8 : Heraclius : AE 40 Nummi Follis. Regnal Year 3. 612 AD To 613 AD. Cyzicus Mint. Sear 839. 29 mm. 9.95 grams. Obverse Heraclius Bust Facing Front. Reverse Large M Mint "KYZ" Officina B. Coin 9 : Constans II : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 641 AD To 647 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1104. DO 176. 22 mm. 4.17 grams. Obverse Contans II Bust Facing Front. Reverse Large M Monogram Above. Coin 10 : Constantine IV : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 668 AD To 674 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1207. DO 60. 22 mm. 3.66 grams. Obverse Constantine IV Bust Facing Front Beardless. Reverse Large M Monogram Above. Overstruck On Constans II Follis 654 AD To 659 AD Sear 1109 DO 180. Coin 11 : Justinian II The Slit Nosed : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 685 AD To 695 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1295. DO 54. 22 mm. 4.08 grams. Obverse Justinian II Bust Facing Front Bearded Holding Globus Cruciger In Right Hand. Reverse Large M Monogram Above. Overstruck On Earlier Coin. Coin 12 : Tiberius III : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 698 AD To 705 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1395. DO 32. 22 mm. 3.19 grams. Obverse Tiberius III Bust Facing Front Holding Spear In Front Of Body Shield In Left Hand. Reverse Large M Monogram Above. Coin 13 : Leo III : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 721 AD To 725 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1514. DO 30b. 22 mm. 4.94 grams. Obverse Leo III Bust Facing Front Holding Globus Cruciger In Right Hand. Reverse Constantine V Bust Facing Front Over Large M. Coin 14 : Constantine V : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 751 AD To 775 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1568. DO 18. 14 mm. 2.20 grams. Obverse Constantine V Bust Facing Front Bearded Holding Akakia In Right Hand. Reverse Leo IV Bust Facing Front Beardless Holding Akakia In Right Hand. Coin 15 : Constantine V : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 751 AD To 775 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1568. DO 18. 18 mm. 2.54 grams. Obverse Constantine V Bust Facing Front Bearded Holding Akakia In Right Hand. Reverse Leo IV Bust Facing Front Beardless Holding Akakia In Right Hand. Coin 16 : Constantine V : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 751 AD To 775 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1569. DO 19. 18 mm. 3.15 grams. Obverse On Left Constantine V Bust Facing Front Bearded Holding Akakia In Right Hand On Right Leo IV Bust Facing Front Beardless Holding Akakia In Right Hand. Reverse Leo III Bust Facing Front Holding Cross Potent In Right Hand. Coin 17 : Constantine V : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 751 AD To 775 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1569. DO 19. 18 mm. 2.71 grams. Obverse On Left Constantine V Bust Facing Front Bearded Holding Akakia In Right Hand On Right Leo IV Bust Facing Front Beardless Holding Akakia In Right Hand. Reverse Leo III Bust Facing Front Holding Cross Potent In Right Hand. Coin 18 : Constantine VI And Irene : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 792 AD To 797 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1598. DO 7. 18 mm. 2.55 grams. Obverse Irene Bust Facing Front Holding Globus Cruciger In Right Hand Holding Cross Scepter In Left Hand. Reverse Constantine VI Bust Facing Front Over Large M. Coin 19 : Leo V : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 813 AD To 820 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1638. DO 16. 18 mm. 1.99 grams. Obverse Leo V Bust Facing Front Bearded Wearing Loros Holding Cross Potent In Right Hand. Reverse Son Constantine Bust Facing Front Beardless Wearing Chlamys Holding Globus Cruciger. Coin 20 : Leo VI The Wise : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 886 AD To 912 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1729. DO 8. 26 mm. 9.58 grams. Obverse Leo VI Bust Facing Front Bearded Wearing Chlamys Holding Akakia In Left Hand. Reverse "LEO NEN THEO BASILEUS ROMEON" Meaning "LEO BY GOD KING OF THE ROMANS". Coin 21 : Leo VI The Wise : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 886 AD To 912 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1729. DO 8. 26 mm. 6.97 grams. Obverse Leo VI Bust Facing Front Bearded Wearing Chlamys Holding Akakia In Left Hand. Reverse "LEO NEN THEO BASILEUS ROMEON" Meaning "Leo By God King Of The Romans". Hole. Coin 22 : Basil II or Constantine VIII : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 1023 AD to 1028 AD. Constantinople Mint. Class A3. Sear 1818. 28 mm. 9.27 grams. Obverse Jesus Christ With "EMMANOVHL" On Left Edge Greek For "Emmanuel" Meaning "God With Us" And "IC XC" On Left And Right Abbreviation For "IHSUS XRISTUS" Greek For "Jesus Christ". Reverse "IHSUS XRISTUS BASILEU BASILE" Greek For "Jesus Christ King Of Kings". Coin 23 : Constantine X : AE 40 Nummi Follis. 1059 AD To 1067 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1854. DO 9. 26 mm. 5.05 grams. Obverse Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front Long Beard Right Hand Raised In Front Of Body In Blessing Holding Book In Left Hand. Reverse Constantine X Bust Facing Front Bearded Wearing Modified Loros Holding Cross In Right Hand. Coin 24 : Alexius I : Billon Aspron Trachy. 1092 AD To 1093 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1918. DO 25. 26 mm. 3.02 grams. Obverse Jesus Christ Seated Upon Throne Bearded With Halo Holding Book In Left Hand. Reverse Alexius I Bust Facing Front Bearded Holding Scepter Cruciger In Right Hand Holding Globus Cruciger In Left Hand. Silver coating very visible. Coin 25 : John II The Good : Billon Aspron Trachy. 1118 AD To 1143 AD. Thessalonica Mint. DO 11. 30 mm. 3.25 grams. Obverse Mary With Halo Facing Front Seated Upon Throne Holding Beardless Head Of Jesus Christ With Halo On Breast. Reverse Emperor Full Length Facing Front Wearing Loros Holding Labarum Headed Scepter In Right Hand Holding Akakia In Left Hand. Silver coating somewhat visible. Coin 26 : John II The Good : AE Half Tetarteron. 1118 AD To 1143 AD. Thessalonica Mint. Sear 1955. 17 mm. 1.75 grams. Obverse Saint Demetrius Bust Facing Front With Halo Holding Sword In Right Hand Holding Shield In Left Hand. Reverse Emperor Bust Facing Front Wearing Crown And Loros Holding Labarum In Right Hand Holding Globus Cruciger In Left Hand. Coin 27 : Manuel I The Great : Billon Aspron Trachy. 1167 AD To 1180 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1966. DO 13. 27 mm. 4.61 grams. Obverse Jesus Christ Facing Front Seated Upon Throne Without Back Bearded With Halo Holding Book In Left Hand. Reverse On Left Emperor Full Length Facing Front On Right Mary Full Length Facing Three Quarters Crowning Emperor. Silver coating seems to be slightly visible. Coin 28 : Andronicus I : Billon Aspron Trachy. 1183 AD To 1185 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1985. DO 3. 28 mm. 3.40 grams. Obverse Mary Full Length Facing Front With Halo Standing On Dais Holding On Breast Head Of Infant Jesus Christ With Halo Facing Front M-Rho On Left Theta-V On Right. M-Rho Theta-V Is Abbreviation For "Meter Tou Theou" Greek For "Mother Of God". Reverse On Left Emperor Full Length Facing Front Holding Labarum In Right Hand Holding Globus Cruciger In Left Hand On Right Jesus Christ With Halo Full Length Facing Three Quarters Crowning Emperor. Coin 29 : Isaac II : Billon Aspron Trachy. 1185 AD To 1195 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2003. DO 3. 28 mm. 3.80 grams. Obverse Mary With Halo Seated Upon Throne Facing Front Holding Head Of Infant Jesus Christ With Halo M-Rho On Left Theta-V On Right. M-Rho Theta-V Is Abbreviation For "Meter Tou Theou" Greek For "Mother Of God". Reverse Emperor Full Length Facing Front Holding Scepter Cruciger In Right Hand Holding Akakia In Left Hand I/CAA/KI/OC On Left. Coin 30 : Latin Rule : Billon Trachy. 1204 AD to 1261 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2035. 20 mm. 1.12 grams. Obverse Jesus Christ Full Length Facing Front Standing On Dais. Reverse Emperor Full Length Facing Front Right Hand Holding Labarum Left Hand Holding Globus Cruciger. The coin has been clipped, which is typical. Coin 31 : Andronicus III : AE Assarion. 1328 AD To 1341 AD. Thessalonica Mint. DO 936. Grierson 1473. 19 mm. 1.83 grams. Obverse Brokage Of Reverse. Reverse On Left Saint Demetrius 3/4 Length Facing Front With Halo At Center Staff Surmounted By Large Fleur-De-Lis Held By Saint Demetrius And Emperor On Right Emperor 3/4 Length Facing Front Top Left (Delta-H-M-H?) Top Right (A-N-Delta-Rho?). NOTE : Ross Glanfield at www.glebecoins.org (an excellent web site) disagrees with Dumbarton Oaks (DO) and Grierson. Ross Glanfield believes, that this coin probably was minted circa 1297 AD during the reign of Andronicus II. Coin 32 : Manuel II : AR Half Stavraton. 1391 AD To 1425 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2551. Grierson 1517. 20 mm. 3.68 grams. Obverse Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front With Halo. Reverse Bust Of Emperor Facing Front "M-A-N-O-V-H-Lambda" Greek For "Manuel" Clockwise Starting At 12 O'Clock. Coin 33 : John VIII : AR Stavraton. 1425 AD To 1448 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2563. 23 mm. 6.76 grams. Obverse Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front With Halo. Reverse Bust Of Emperor Facing Front "IWAN" Greek For "John" In Outer Legend Clockwise Starting At 12 O'Clock.
I agree. I hope to gradually take photos, of the individual coins, and post the photos on CoinTalk, when I can find the time, in the future. I've previously posted a few photos, of some of my individual Byzantine coins (Justinian I The Great : Regnal Year 12, Maurice Tiberius, Basil II or Constantine VIII, Andronicus I, Latin Rule, and John VIII), as replies in other persons' CoinTalk threads. Here are those individual photos. Click on the photos, to zoom in. Justinian I The Great : Regnal Year 12 Maurice Tiberius Basil II or Constantine VIII Andronicus I Latin Rule John VIII
That's an impressive group ! I like the big coppers, the Anonymous Christ follis is a handsome coin too .
Beautiful examples, sand! You might consider individual photos for some or all of your coins. Your Justinian I Nicomedia follis is really nice, and because of its wide module, stands out.
Very nice! 10-13 are teh ones I'd most like to see individua pics of. The Justinian Years 12-14 40 nummia are amongst teh most impressive Byzantine AE. One generally can't go wrong with those. The Tiberius II seems to be on an unusually large flan. Very nice.
great collection, I like looking at the coins in date order and see how some things change (size & shape) and some do not (M for 40)
I really like the tray photos (having posted a few myself)! They're not a substitute for individual photos, but certainly have their own merits in providing an overall view of a particular collection. I have found, though, that keeping any kind of coins in a tray without compartments, other than for taking photos, is more frustrating than it's worth: no matter how careful one is, it seems inevitable that they eventually slide around and ruin the arrangement.
Thanks @robinjojo Sometime in the future, I'll try to post individual photos, of all of the coins. Thanks @nerosmyfavorite68 For some reason, for the Tiberius II 40 nummi folles, a lot of the Regnal Year 5 coins, seem to have large flans. I don't know why. Thanks @rrdenarius I thought people might like to see, how the Byzantine bronze coins changed, with time, even though my collection is far from complete. Also, for my personal benefit, it allows me to look at all of my Byzantine coins, in 2 photos, while I'm sitting at my computer. Thanks @DonnaML I recall seeing a few of your nice tray photos, of your excellent Roman Republic denarii, and your excellent Roman Empire denarii, if I remember correctly. Yes, 1-compartment trays have their advantages and disadvantages. At the moment, I have all of my ancient coins, in three 1-compartment trays. I keep my ancient Greek and ancient Roman coins in one 1-compartment tray, my Byzantine coins in one 1-compartment tray, and my other ancient coins in one 1-compartment tray. On the other hand, I keep my favorite medieval coins, Spanish Colonial coins, US coins, and English coins in a 24-compartment tray. I keep each of the above 4 Abafil trays, in a separate Abafil "Diplomat 2" case. Each case is meant to hold 2 regular-depth Abafil trays, but I just put 1 tray in each case, so I can simply open a case, and look at the coins, without having to move trays around. Yes, over time, the coins in a 1-compartment tray, eventually move around. I used to exercise, in the same room, where I kept my coins. I stopped doing that, when I noticed, that the coins were migrating, because of the vibrations of the floor. Whenever I move a case, I'm always careful, not to move the case too quickly, and to hold the case horizontal. Heaven help me, if I ever drop a case. Maybe, I would have some sort of minor meltdown. With the above arrangement, my coins don't move too much. However, whenever I look at my ancient coins, I always have to move some of them around a little bit, to get them back into a decent arrangement. However, when I took these group photos, it took some time, to carefully arrange the coins, and to rotate the coins, into the proper orientation. On the other hand, I can fit all of my 33 Byzantine coins, of various sizes, in a single 1-compartment tray, in chronological order. And, I can fit all of my 14 ancient Greek coins, and all of my 37 ancient Roman coins, a total of 51 coins, of various sizes, in a single 1-compartment tray, in chronological order. However, I have plenty of 24-compartment trays, including a deep-depth 24-compartment tray, and extra cases, in case I ever decide, to put my coins in those trays. For now, I like the 1-compartment trays, for my ancients. But, someday, I may put them in the 24-compartment trays, because of the reasons you mentioned. I don't know, if my way of doing things, would work, for a large collection. My collection is relatively small, and I look at my coins relatively often. Therefore, I can "catch" the coins, before they drift to the point, of actually touching each other. Fortunately, the Abafil velvet is very soft. Therefore, I don't think, that the small movement of the coins, is causing any wear, on the coins. Thanks @cmezner
