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Byzantine Class A1 overstruck on Nicephorus I
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<p>[QUOTE="Valentinian, post: 7422501, member: 44316"]Until 970 Byzantine emperors struck copper coins in their own names. Then, in AD 970 the pious emperor John I Tzimisces make a remarkable change in the copper coins (folles). He issued folles with a <b>facing bust of Christ and the emperor's name omitted</b> (therefore, "anonymous"). It was the first copper type to portray Christ.</p><p><br /></p><p>The anonymous types are common and very collectible. My educational web page, "Byzantine 'anonymous folles' of the 10th-11th centuries," introduces them:</p><p><a href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/ByzAnon/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/ByzAnon/" rel="nofollow">http://augustuscoins.com/ed/ByzAnon/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>The first "anonymous follis" type is under John I and is called "Class A1." The design is the same as on the extremely common Class A2, but A2 coins are usually larger and heavier. Most (all?) Class A1 coins used earlier coins as flans and many are overstruck on coins of the previous emperor, Nicephorus II (963-969). (The first Class A2 coins did not use earlier coins as flans--Early Class A2 coins were larger than any coins in circulation.) I have wanted a Class A1 coin that had the undertype clear enough to identify, and one came today:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1289130[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>27 mm. 8.10 grams. Slightly larger in diameter than many Class A1 pieces.</p><p>Facing bust of Christ, nimbate (= with halo) with two dots in each quarter, IC XC (for Jesus Christ) across just outside the nimbus.</p><p>Reverse with four lines:</p><p>+IhSUS (Jesus) [missing]</p><p>XRISTUS (Christ) [some of the middle is visible]</p><p>bASILЄU (King of) [visible]</p><p>bASILЄ (kings) [visible]</p><p>Sear 1793.</p><p><br /></p><p>This example has a very clear undertype. On the reverse, slanting at the top from 11:00 to 3:00, we can see parts of three lines of the reverse of a coin of Nicephorus I:</p><p>+ҺICH ... ["H" is a capital eta, a Greek "E"]</p><p>ЄҺΘ...</p><p>SIL...</p><p>from this type of Nicephorus II:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1289134[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>+ҺICHF</p><p>ЄҺΘWbA</p><p>SILЄVSRW</p><p>MAIWҺ</p><p>Nicephorus II (He spelled it with "F" for our "PH"), 963-969. 23 mm. 6.97grams. Sear 1783.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now return to look at the obverse of the top coin, at 5:30. It has the beginning of the clockwise obverse legend of the Nicephorus type:</p><p>+ҺICЄF This begins at 8:00 on the undertype, coin 2.</p><p>Also, slanting from 4:30 part way towards 8:00 on the obverse is a raised line which is the long cross from the undertype.</p><p><br /></p><p>The original shows a bit of a third strike. On the reverse from 6:30 to 3:00 you can see the weak remains of a line of legend, possibly part of the word</p><p>RO<font size="6">m</font>ЄOҺ</p><p>which ends the reverse legends of some earlier emperors. That may be related to the lettering on the original obverse from 12:00-1:00, but I am not sure.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, the first coin is an example of the first anonymous type, Class A1, overstruck on a type of the previous emperor. It is unusual because the key parts of the legends of the undertype are easily visible on both sides.</p><p><br /></p><p>Show us anything related![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Valentinian, post: 7422501, member: 44316"]Until 970 Byzantine emperors struck copper coins in their own names. Then, in AD 970 the pious emperor John I Tzimisces make a remarkable change in the copper coins (folles). He issued folles with a [B]facing bust of Christ and the emperor's name omitted[/B] (therefore, "anonymous"). It was the first copper type to portray Christ. The anonymous types are common and very collectible. My educational web page, "Byzantine 'anonymous folles' of the 10th-11th centuries," introduces them: [URL]http://augustuscoins.com/ed/ByzAnon/[/URL] The first "anonymous follis" type is under John I and is called "Class A1." The design is the same as on the extremely common Class A2, but A2 coins are usually larger and heavier. Most (all?) Class A1 coins used earlier coins as flans and many are overstruck on coins of the previous emperor, Nicephorus II (963-969). (The first Class A2 coins did not use earlier coins as flans--Early Class A2 coins were larger than any coins in circulation.) I have wanted a Class A1 coin that had the undertype clear enough to identify, and one came today: [ATTACH=full]1289130[/ATTACH] 27 mm. 8.10 grams. Slightly larger in diameter than many Class A1 pieces. Facing bust of Christ, nimbate (= with halo) with two dots in each quarter, IC XC (for Jesus Christ) across just outside the nimbus. Reverse with four lines: +IhSUS (Jesus) [missing] XRISTUS (Christ) [some of the middle is visible] bASILЄU (King of) [visible] bASILЄ (kings) [visible] Sear 1793. This example has a very clear undertype. On the reverse, slanting at the top from 11:00 to 3:00, we can see parts of three lines of the reverse of a coin of Nicephorus I: +ҺICH ... ["H" is a capital eta, a Greek "E"] ЄҺΘ... SIL... from this type of Nicephorus II: [ATTACH=full]1289134[/ATTACH] +ҺICHF ЄҺΘWbA SILЄVSRW MAIWҺ Nicephorus II (He spelled it with "F" for our "PH"), 963-969. 23 mm. 6.97grams. Sear 1783. Now return to look at the obverse of the top coin, at 5:30. It has the beginning of the clockwise obverse legend of the Nicephorus type: +ҺICЄF This begins at 8:00 on the undertype, coin 2. Also, slanting from 4:30 part way towards 8:00 on the obverse is a raised line which is the long cross from the undertype. The original shows a bit of a third strike. On the reverse from 6:30 to 3:00 you can see the weak remains of a line of legend, possibly part of the word RO[SIZE=6]m[/SIZE]ЄOҺ which ends the reverse legends of some earlier emperors. That may be related to the lettering on the original obverse from 12:00-1:00, but I am not sure. So, the first coin is an example of the first anonymous type, Class A1, overstruck on a type of the previous emperor. It is unusual because the key parts of the legends of the undertype are easily visible on both sides. Show us anything related![/QUOTE]
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