I received this in the mail after purchasing them over the weekend. It was part of a 3 coin lot along with some WWII notes. Strange combo...either way, the coins came today and I am working on ID'ing them. This is the only one I am not 100% sure on: I believe it to be: Justinian I AE Half-Follis Antioch Obverse: DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and long sceptre, cross to right Reverse: Large K, ANNO to left, cross above, regnal year to right, mintmark e (or P with angled downstroke). My coin weighs 9.42g and is slightly larger than a quarter. I could only find one example on Vcoins, though I'm not sure if this is reginal year XXI or XXXI. It is listed as being "scarce". I'm not sure if that is correct or not: https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/ro...ge_k_ry_21_antioch_scarce/843151/Default.aspx What do you all think?
Here is my Justinian I Half Follis. Yours is different that's for sure. Hopefully, @Valentinian can help Justinian I (527-565 A.D.) Æ 1/2 Follis O: DN IVSTINI-ANVS PP AVG, Diademed draped and cuirassed bust right. R: Large K, cross to left, star above and below, officinia gamma to right. 22mm 9.9g Constantinople mint SB 164; Doc 33
Here is the corresponding follis and decanummium that goes with that particular coin: Byzantine Empire: Justinian I (527-565) Æ Follis, Theoupolis, RY 21 (Sear 220; DOC 218e; MIBE 145c) Obv: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG; Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger and shield; cross to right Rev: Large M; date across field, cross above, date across field, cross above, Є below; QHЧΠ in exergue, pellet above Π Byzantine Empire: Justinian I (527-565) Æ Decanummium, Theoupolis, RY 27 (Sear 237; DOC 255; MIBE 158) Obv: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG; Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger and shield; cross to right Rev: Large I; date across field, cross above, date across field, cross above, THЧΠ in exergue
I don't have any half folles of Justinian from Antioch yet, but what I do have are two Folles of Justinian minted at the Great City of Antioch; one from before the facing bust reform, and one just after. Justinian the Great AE Follis 536 - 539 A.D., Antioch Mint, 3rd Officina 17.56g, 29.0mm, 6H Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, Emperor, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right Reverse: -, Large M, star to left, cross above, star to right, Γ below Exergue: ϴYΠOΛS Provenance: Ex. Augustus Coins 2018 Reference: SBCV 217 Justinian the Great AE Follis 539 - 540 A.D., Antioch Mint, 4th Officina 21.50g, 39.5mm, 6H Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, Emperor, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and shield with horseman motif, cross to right Reverse: -, Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, regnal year to right, officina letter below Exergue: ϴYΠO Provenance: Ex. eBay 2019 Reference: SBCV 218 I really really love Byzantine coins, or as I like to call them, very very late Roman coins. To me, it just makes sense that these coins are a product of the maturity of the Roman financial system. Going back only to Diocletian, one nummus was about half the size of what the 40 nummi coin is, shown above. So, you can clearly see inflation. Although I have no sources, I am willing to gamble that that 40 nummi coin, or follis, as called by what the Romans used to call a bag of 40 tiny nummus coins, had the same purchasing power of 2 nummi from the late 3rd century. It is direct evidence that the government, at times, had to deal with financial crises in the way we sometimes do today; by increasing the fiat money supply by debasing the currency. Making more money out of the materials available than what can be made normally. Inflation results. Romans respond by re-tarrifing the currency and introducing new, larger, denominations. Well into the Byzantine period of the Empire, we see this trend happen again, and again, and again, and again. Financial crisis after the other, we see it happening. It's quite a beautiful window into the Roman, and our own, past, and it is also quite sad to see how much they struggled to cling on to their existence.
Those are great examples @Mat @Quant.Geek and @Caesar_Augustus! I have found myself drawn more and more to Byzantine coins lately. The history of the Byzantines is incredibly interesting and not well known outside of a few small circles. I really like the Decanummium. I don't yet have a coin of that denomination.
