Byzantine Anonymous Follis Class B - Odd (?) Cut-Down Example

This seemed a bit peculiar to me. A very tiny Byzantine Class B anonymous follis. At first I thought I'd found a unique half follis and I was going to retire rich. But it seems to be a regular follis that has been extensively cut down - the design that is left is full size. (6.14 grams / 23 x 18 mm)

Below are some photos with a standard-sized Class B follis for comparison. Also shown are the edges, which have a beveled edge - like something chopped down in antiquity. Just wondering if anybody has seen something else like this (that isn't by Heraclius!)? Or is this just a typical lousy Byzantine mint job?



Comparison with a full-size example:



Stumpy sitting atop a full-sized example:



Edge detail:


Anonymous Follis Class B
Romanus III / Michael IV
(c. 1028-1042 A.D.)
Constantinople Mint
Bust of Christ facing IC-[XC] across and [EMMANOVHL] /Cross on three steps, [IS-XS] / [bA]S - I[LЄ] / bAS - IL[Є].
SB 1823
(6.14 grams / 23 x 18 mm)
Note: Clipped flan?

Please share your mangled and mutilated or whatever strikes your fancy.

 

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Yes, I have seen this several times before. The latter class follis dropped to around 5gm, someone cut them to aprox weight. A full heavy tetarteron was also around 5gm. By the time that Alexius created the new coinage their was a huge shortage of copper. So my guess it happened around the time of Alexius 1092 or earlier mid 11th century.
An anonymous follis that was cut down to the size of a Tetarteron.

Size 20mm

Weight 5.0gm

 

Very interesting. I wasn't aware of this phenomenon.

 

I wonder if they lost their copper mines to the Turks after Manzikert.

 

I do not know but the shortage was severe. Alexius melted down public monuments and church statues for copper. The original tetartera was made of lead , this is a rare one from Constantinople.

Also much of the early coinage they minted was blatantly overstruck on partial earlier follis.


This is only seen on the Thessalonica minted coins, not Constantinople.

 

Here is an interesting strike, but I am not certain its a "shift" of the dies during striking as some claim it to be...

 

Interesting. That would explain why the most common anonymous overstrikes are the late issues, J and K.

 

I still have several of them and never looked into the reason they are reduced.


22x25mm, 6.7g

 

Since I been on CT I have become habitually addicted the the Anonymous Follis pieces and have acquired me a small hoard. I get tickled when I view this one. The wear pattern makes Christ appear to be a vampire.

 

Thank you for that enlightening answer, BenSi - this is very interesting. A follis cut down to a tetarteron denomination makes a lot of sense.

 

I find it interesting that the Byzantine mints rather regularly overstruck coins on earlier issues that had been cut down to reduce the weight to the current standard. Earlier ancients are found overstruck but more frequently on whole coins. Perhaps the concept of coins being an exact weight was more important in the later period. The other interesting characteristic is the number of issues that seem more common overstruck than on new flans.

 

2 overstruck Alexius Trachys i have..

Overstruck on an anonymous follis (Class D,E or F) 3.1 grams

Overstruck on a Class K Follis 4.0 grams

 

I do love Byzantine creativity. The Romans had fun with this one:

Basil II & Constantine VIII
AE Follis

1023 - 1028 A.D., Constantinople Mint, null Officina
7.93g, 28.0mm, 6H

Obverse: +ЄMMANOVHΛ/IC - XC,
Facing bust of Christ Pantokrator

Reverse: +IҺSЧS/XRISTЧS/ЬASILЄЧ/ЬASILЄ,
Legend in four lines; decoration above and below

Class: A3

Type: 41

Ornament:

Nimbus:

Book:

Reference: SBCV 1818

 

What is the undertype on Caesar_Augustus' coin?

 

I think a bit of chaos was at play, I do not think the mints were prepared for the coin reform for the lower denominations. It was also a time for a change in the way money was used. The tetartera was found in huge quantities compared to earlier coinage but the earlier coinage was larger and less likely to be dropped and lost.

The weight is a grey area especially during Alexius I and John II reign. I think someone was given a bag of metal and told to create a certain amount of coins. The weights of the Thessalonica issued coins was across the board, making it very difficult to decipher what the goal weight was. Some Alexius issues exists from 1gm to 5gm giving credence to the theory of involuntary value. I do not agree with that theory I think the change of tax rates using old money versus new had something to do with it.

Interesting you do not find later tetartera overstruck, it was issued by the government to give as change from taxes and basic payments but never recalled and re-struck with the new rulers image. In fact it was discovered in the 1990s that imitation tetartera was struck in the 13th century using the old Alexius I ( 1092) images on the coins. The old ones must have still been around.

These original coins came from Chaos.

 

Again, interesting overview, BenSi. I agree that the coins show evidence of chaos and haste.

But it just occurred to me that these cut-down folles were not merely chopped in half or thirds - some care was made to trim the planchet. On my example, there are 6 or 7 cuts. Very labor-intensive compared to just chopping it in 2 or 3 pieces. I am assuming this was done so as not to desecrate the portrait of Christ?

 

I see a legend on the reverse top right that looks like a rotated off-center strike using the same die. Do you see anything else?

 

It is often hard to tell a double strike from an overstrike. I don't see this one.
My point was that earlier Byzantine from the time of Focas are often struck on trimmed down flans of earlier rulers. Justinian II struck half folles on quartered folles of his father. Romans might overstrike but you don't see them clipping down earlier coins like it seemed all the Byzantines did. At some point, weight became more significant for bronzes.

 

I have seen about a dozen of these in the past Mike. Most of the examples I saw were coming from a dealer in the Netherlands, in fact I think that is where I acquired mine. In each case the cutting was done in antiquity and the Christ portrait was still visible and uncut. I do not think these were done by the government but by an individual or individuals. At some point the old coinage had no longer been usable or the rate of exchange for an old follis was not favorable to a tetarteron. The person or persons cut the coin and perhaps melted the rest.
If it was the government or a moneychanger, it was not done in mass, we would have seen more examples.
It would have been sacrilegious to have cut the portrait of Christs face so that is why none of the examples show this, also it was easier to pass it off as a tetarteron in passing.

 

A little late to the party, but I got one of these in a lot I purchased a couple months back and thought it was really neat. It's a bit lighter than the other examples here:



Constantine IX (?), 1042 - 1055, Sear 1836 Class D Anonymous Follis, 24mm, 3.88g
Obverse: Nimbate Christ seated facing on throne, holding gospel book; [IC - XC across field].
Reverse: [ISXS] / BASIL[E] / BASIL in five lines