[ancients] Peek-a-boo Jesus

Had an itchy bidding finger...





Romanus IV Diogenes, 1068-1071
AE Follis
10.57 g
Constantinople
Obv: IC-XC over NI-KA to left and right of bust of Christ facing, dotted cross behind head, wearing pallium and colobium, holding book of Gospels with both hands
Rev: C-R P-Δ in the four angles of a cross with globe and two dots at each extremity, X in the centre. Ref: Sear 1866, DO-8

And some poor souls only get to imagine Jesus on their grilled cheese sandwich

 

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Uhhhh, what?

I think I'm missing something here...

 

Yeah, it's a pretty subtle overstrike.

 

Me too

 

Nice animated gif.

Cool overstrike and coin in general

 

OK, now I'm confused about what you're confused about.

It's an overstruck coin, Christ is on the reverse too.

 

I did some photoshopping of the coin to crudely reconstruct what it should have looked like, then made a gif just so there'd be no missing it. (guess that didn't work as planned!)

 

Guys look at the obverse then closely at the reverse.

 

Outstanding find. Lovin' it.

 

Extremely nice coin but I'd call it an 1865 not 1866. Sear notes that these are often overstruck on earlier folles but he goes on to confuse people. Under 1866 he refers the reader to page 330 where we find that 1866 is the Class G anonymous follis.


My 1866 Class G is overstruck on a Sear 1854 as mentioned on page 330. Yo can see Constantine X peering out from behind Christ's halo at the upper left of the obverse. As I see it 1865 (TIF's coin) is not listed on page 330 because it is technically not anonymous because of the C-R P-Δ legend including Romanus. It would have been really nice if Mr. Sear had expanded the legend so I could have a clue what those four letters stood for. It is even a fair question to ask about the language used since the R suggests Latin and the Δ Greek. Perhaps the top line is Caesar Romanus while the bottom line is Romanus Despotes in Greek????? Really folks, I respect Mr. Sear and his book but would it kill scholars to be just a little educational when they write this stuff for the low mentality types (me) that buy their books??

The way all this is laid out on page 319 makes it look like he listed 1865 as the coin and 1866 as the overstruck coin but Sear never gives a separate number for an overstrike so I'm sure I'm reading his intent correctly here.

TIF: Feel free to make my 1866 into a GIF but knowing what was part of which strike is not obvious here. I like Byzantine overstrikes. I have a few that I can't explain to my satisfaction including some that are just plain messy. Of course I have an old page
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/feac70byz.html
but my one I'd like you to diagnose fully is below. I'm calling it a Class K on Class J of Alexius I.



Opinion: Byzantine overstruck coins carry extra interest if not extra value only when their component parts play nicely together and can be separated in the eye of the student. Unexplainable hot messes are just that and worth less than ordinary coins. Coin of some types that show absolutely no sign of an undertype are rare but coins with interesting blends are better. IMHO the OP TIF GIF is a great coin.

 

Awesome animation ... none of my coins dance like that!!

=> totally jealous!!

 

My only overstruck Byzantine.


Constantine X (1059 - 1067 A.D.)
Æ FOLLIS
O: +EMMA_NOVHA Christ standing facing on footstool, raising hand in benediction and holding Gospels. IC XC across field
R: EVDKARO +KWNTAK On left, Eudocia standing facing, wearing modified loros with kite-shaped lower panel and crown with cross and pendilia; on right, Constantine standing facing, wearing modified loros and crown with cross and pendilia, both holding labarum with cross-piece on shaft between them, standing on base and three steps, and each places one hand on heart
Constantinople
6.1g
26mm
DOC 8; SB 1853

 

I am very much lacking in numismatic reference material and need to start buying some books.

I'll give it a try. It wasn't hard with the coin I just bought because the overstruck devices were pretty clear. I won't be able to do a similar animated GIF if I can't see the overstruck devices. But-- I could take a picture of the supposed original coin and do a gradual superimposition of the second coin. With proper sizing and orientation it might enable you to then see where the original coin devices are on your specimen. I hope that made sense to you, it sounds right in my head.

To do this I'll need a picture of both types of (non-overstruck) coins that that comprise the overstruck specimen in question. Can you find some pics for me?

 

I love these big Jesus coins, very cool over strike, why is he look'in so mad...

 

Doug,

I wish I had the Sear Byz book to better understand what you wrote. I looked for examples in wildwinds but didn't find an 1865. Saw this one in CNG archives, but it doesn't appear to be the same coin you referenced:


I'm not sure where the original coin features are on the obverse of my coin, but it rather looks like the original coins was this one (maybe?) which is listed as SB1867 (another CNG archives coin):


Here's an attempt to animate a fade-in overlay of the CNG SB1867 with my coin:


I could try to do the same with your coin if you direct me to the correct pictures.

 

I'd believe it!

Sweet coin!

 

oh man....that jessus gif is messin' with my head!

but it's a fantatic coin...i love those overstrikes when the details are still clear.

 

The gif is a cool idea, but I think it goes too quickly. If we had an image of the coin for about 5 seconds, then each overlay lasting about 3 seconds until the final image, which paused for another 5 seconds, it would be better. You would have the time to see what was going on.

 

JA, you're right. Or perhaps have the image linger on the first coin, then fade somewhat rapidly but between more pics of (smaller increments of decreasing transparency), then linger on the final opaque overlay before recycling.

 

Yeah, something more studious and less neurotic.