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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;arnoldoe, post: 2275493, member: 72712&quot;]Well, since i got the Romanus Follis, i thought I might as well get 3 more from the reign of Constantine VII</p><p><br /></p><p>and an attempt at a story too</p><p><br /></p><p>In 913 AD&nbsp; as the Emperor&nbsp; Alexander was dying he appointed a&nbsp; 7 regent council for the future emperor Constantine VII&nbsp; (born in 905) led by the Ecumenical&nbsp; Patriarch of Constantinople, Nicholas Mystikos</p><p><br /></p><p>After Alexander died the Patriarch Nicholas expells Constantine’s mother Zoe&nbsp; from the imperial palace and&nbsp; forces her to join a monastery….</p><p><br /></p><p>John Skylitzes the Byzantine historian says that “ <i>The emperor Constantine was constantly complaining and calling for his mommy so they brought her back in, against their better judgement. Once she was in she seized the reigns of government</i>”..</p><p><br /></p><p>The regents were expelled and Zoe put herself and her son on the Folles for the next for the next few years.(below)</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/arnoldoe/media/conromzoe1_zpsxzcs3mfa.jpg.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/arnoldoe/media/conromzoe1_zpsxzcs3mfa.jpg.html" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag465/arnoldoe/conromzoe1_zpsxzcs3mfa.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, with Zoe. </b>913-959. Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Struck 914-919. Crowned half-length figures of Constantine, wearing loros, and Zoe, wearing chlamys, holding patriarchal cross between / + COҺS / TAҺTIҺO’ / CЄ ZOH ЬA / SILIS RO / MEOҺ in five lines. DOC 22; SB 1758.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>…However, apparently some people did not think Zoe was doing a good job and eventually the droungarios of the fleet Romanus Lekapenos came to power and expelled Zoe to a monastery and even let Constantine VII live and remain emperor and for a while he was still featured on the bronze folles, although only for a short time, ((SB 1759) the only Constantine VII bronze coin I am currently missing) and by 920&nbsp; Romanus had himself declared Senior emperor and began to strike folles with his own image (below)</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/arnoldoe/media/conromzoe2_zpsmebm7ixi.jpg.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/arnoldoe/media/conromzoe2_zpsmebm7ixi.jpg.html" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag465/arnoldoe/conromzoe2_zpsmebm7ixi.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, with Romanus I. </b>913-959. Æ Follis (27mm, 9.32 g, 6h). Constantinople mint. Struck (920-944). Crowned bust of Romanus I facing, holding labarum and globus cruciger / Legend in four lines. DOC 25a; SB 1760. VF, brown patina with earthen highlights/deposits.</p><p><i>From the Prue Morgan Fitts Collection. ex CNG coins</i></p><p>Illustrated in Prue Morgan Fitts’ book, <i>The Beginner&#039;s Guide to Identifying Byzantine Coins</i> (London, Spink, 2015).</p><p>over struck on SB 1729</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>By 943&nbsp; Romanus, figured his two sons would not be very good emperors and declares that Constantine VII should have precedence over his own two sons Stephen and Constantine… they apparently didn’t like this and&nbsp; in 944 overthrew their father and put him into a monastery, but apparently they didn’t realize that they were not very popular and the people&nbsp; of Constantinople revolted, and Constantine VII put both of them into&nbsp; monasteries like they had done to their own father.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine VII, after 31 long years of waiting was&nbsp; finally sole emperor and was able to place his own face and name on the bronze coins, but rather than producing new flans for his new coins, he just took all the folles of Romanus and struck his own face over them (very disrespectful).</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/arnoldoe/media/conromzoe3_zpsy7jo1xkh.jpg.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/arnoldoe/media/conromzoe3_zpsy7jo1xkh.jpg.html" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag465/arnoldoe/conromzoe3_zpsy7jo1xkh.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. </b>913-959. Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Struck 945-circa 950. Crowned facing bust, wearing loros and holding akakia and globus cruciger / + COҺST’/ ЄҺ ӨЄO ЬA / SILЄVS R / OMЄOҺ in four lines. DOC 26; SB 1761.</p><p>over struck on SB 1760</p><p><br /></p><p>But about 5 years later&nbsp; Constantine&#039;s son Romanus II apparently convinced his father to allow him to appear alongside him on the folles and kept&nbsp;&nbsp; striking over Romanus&#039;s coins</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/arnoldoe/media/conromzoe4_zpsnsov8vtq.jpg.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/arnoldoe/media/conromzoe4_zpsnsov8vtq.jpg.html" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag465/arnoldoe/conromzoe4_zpsnsov8vtq.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine VII and Romanus II (945-959),</b> Follis, Constantinople, c. AD 950-959 , facing bust, Costantine VII bearded, Romanus II beardless, smaller, wearing loros and crown with cross, holding globe surmounted by patriarcheal cross, Rv. DOC 27 SB 1762.</p><p>also overstruck on SB 1760</p><p>ex Pecunem auction (unsold)</p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine VII died in 959[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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