I have a friend, Dan Clark, who collected early Byzantine copper coins with the unusual feature that above the normal bust right was a cross not usually there. Here is one: Justin I, 518-527. Sear 84. Bold cross above his head. Nicomedia mint. He hoped to figure out why a small fraction of the coins of these types had crosses when most didn't. That question remains open, so to preserve the information I made a website http://esty.ancients.info/ByzCross/Cross-above-head.html featuring his collection with all the information about the pieces that a scholar would need. Since then the collection has been dispersed to Dumbarton Oaks, the ANS, and the trade. Only three emperors are considered: Anastasius: http://esty.ancients.info/ByzCross/Anastasius.html Justin I: http://esty.ancients.info/ByzCross/Justin.html and Justinian, pre-reform: http://esty.ancients.info/ByzCross/Justinian.html
I purchased a small grouping through Warren including a similar coin to the one shown and also some late Roman types including Theodosius. I'd been collecting for over 20 years and had never even known about these types until the dispersion of this collection. Can't even imagine how many years it took to find them all.
I sold one to him years ago when I had my website on Vcoins. I fortunately kept one for myself as a result of my email conversation with him. I don't have a photo of mine which isn't a surprise as my appetite for coins has over taken my proptness to photo all of them. I do have it in my data base that I aquired in April of 2010. I'll try to dig it out and send an image. They are quite scarce. In all of my years of collecting Byz's the two I had were the only ones I've seen. He sent me a cd of his collection so I could keep an eye out for more goodies. Glad it is up on line. Thanks from all of us.
I couldn't stand it and had to look again. I found an image of my Justin I Half Follis of Antioch. S.106a, ofc.A, retro K. I have always loved this piece and am happy to share it. It was an early acquisition of mine. Like the others, they are not listen in DOC., MIB., Tolstoi, or Ratto.
I find it very unlikely. Such design appeared 100 years after Justin II i think. It is more likely it is Constans II. Or maybe Justinian II. But it is definitely not from the middle of 500ce during Justin II's reign.
Constans II, 641-668 ad, Constantinople mint, possibly 3rd officina. Hard to tell reignal year as these are always poorly struck. One could make a career on the coins of Constans II alone. Always some surprised on the coins of this emperor as there was a large variety of designs and mints.
