Just bought this Follis of Maurice Tiberius, love the green patina. Maurice a former general, transformed the shattered Byzantine empire into a new large and well organized state. His campaigns though caused a drained treasury and forced Maurice to raise taxes and lower the salaries for the army. His army at the Danube river revolted and under usurper Phocas (602-610) marched to Constantinople and with help of the citizins, Maurice and his family were arrested and Maurice and his 5 sons were beheaded soon after. His wife and daughters were some time later executed. Phocas did no good to the empire , it was reduced to about the same size when Maurice came to power. Maurice didn't take the advice of emperor Septimius Severus (193-211)"" enrich the soldiers , forget about the rest""
Nice example. Maurice Tiberius (582 - 602 A.D. ) Æ Follis O: D N mAVRC TIber PP AV, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, globus cruciger in right hand, shield in left hand. R: Large M, ANNO left and date right, cross above, Γ below, CON in exergue. Dated RY 9 (590/1) Constantinople mint 11.86g 32.6mm SBCV 494 Ex. Ed Waddell (11/1981)
I love the style of the folles like that, from Antioch! Here's my similar example from a year earlier: And a year 5 decanummium from the same mint: I've ended up with quite a lot of Maurice for some reason. Here's a contrasting style from Constantinople, overstruck on a huge Justinian: And a rather silly looking portrait from Nikomedia. I enjoy the Nikomedia style for its humour.
I like the coins of Maurice. Here are a few that weren't posted: Byzantine Empire: Maurice Tiberius (582-602 CE) AR 1/2 Siliqua, Carthage (Sear-551; DOC 239; MIBE 57) Obv: D N TIB [MA]-VRIC [PP A]; crowned, draped, and cuirassed bust of Maurice Tiberius facing Rev: * SALVS MVNDI, cross within circular border of pellets Byzantine Empire: Maurice Tiberius (582-602) AR 1/2 Siliqua, Carthage (Sear-553; DOC 241; MIBE 61) Obv: D N MAVR Tb PP; helmeted and draped bust of Maurice Tiberius facing, wearing consular robes, holding mappa and globus cruciger Rev: Cross potent on three steps, flanked by A-ω; all within circular pelleted border surrounded by laurel wreath Byzantine Empire: Maurice Tiberius (582-602) Æ Pentanummium, Constantinople (Sear 501A; MIB 74c) Obv: D N mAVRI or similar; Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Maurice Tiberius to right Rev: Large Є; to left A Dim: 16 mm, 1.60 g, 7 h Byzantine Empire: Maurice Tiberius (582-602) Æ Pentanummium, Nicomedia (Sear 516; MIB 83; DOC 118) Obv: D N mAVRI or similar; Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Maurice Tiberius to right Rev: Large Є; to left N Dim: 18 mm, 1.78 g, 6 h
Beautiful (and scarce!) silver, @Quant.Geek! And what a great example of hilarious portraiture from Nikomedia! (Excellent flan, too!)
Nice example! This is my Dekanummion, I like how compressed it is into the flan Maurice Tiberius. AE Decanummium/10 Nummi. Constantinople mint, 3rd officina, 582-602. Obverse: Crowned, draped, and cuirassed bust facing Reverse: Large I; cross above, star to left; Γ//CON. Reference: DOC 65c; MIBE 73c; SB 499. 2.93g
The gold solidi of Maurice Tiberius are some of the most plentiful of all Byzantine gold coins, yet choice high grade examples can bring very high prices at auction. The coin pictured below I sold at a Heritage auction in January of 2018 for $1,020.00 ! The coin was struck at the Constantinople Mint, 8th Officina.
Here's a Maurice Tiberius from an unusual mint - Constantine in Numidia. The pellets are hard to see on the reverse, but I think they really are there: Maurice Tiberius Decanummium (582-c. 593 A.D.) Constantine in Numidia Mint DN MAVRI Tb PP AVG, crowned and cuirassed bust facing / Large I, star to left, pellet-cross-pellet above, star to right; mintmark CON in exergue. SB 578; DOC 262. (4.28 grams / 18 mm)
I don't have any of Maurice nor do I speak of the pompatus of love, but I do have this earworm now ...
So nice to see those silvers! Here are a few repeats with mine, plus one or two others. Maurice Tiberius (582-602 AD) AR 1/2 Siliqua, Carthage. 0.91 gr. 15 mm. 9 hr. S.551; DO – (239); H. 57; BNP 1-2; BM 228 Maurice Tiberius (582-602) AR 1/2 Siliqua, Carthage. 0.73 gr. 13 mm. 1 hr. S.553; DO – (241); H. 61; BNP 4; BM 229-30; R. 1031 Maurice Tiberius (?) (582-602) Pb. Pentanummium. 1.77 gr. 13 mm. 6 hr. Anepigraphic. Obv: Bust right, cross in right field. Rev: Epsilon, cross in right field. Not in the major references. But Cecile Morrisson published an example as no. 26 in her article : “Monnaies en plomb byzantines de la fin du VIe et du début du VIIe siècle” (Rivista Italiana di Numismatica e Scienze Affini LXXXIII 1981, 119-132). A subsequent example was recently sold in Leu’s Web Auction 15, lot 2285, and yet another example is offered in the coming Demos Auction 1, lot 597. Theodosius, son of Maurice. Carthage 590-602. Ar 200 nummi. 0.64 gr. 14 mm. hr. 9. S.615A; DO – H. 62; BNP 6 Obv: Helmeted and diademed facing bust. DN TεODOSIVS PP [A] Rev: NM. Above, cross, between, pellet. Beneath, CC. All within a circle of dots, around which, a wreath. NAC 95, Oct. 26-27, 1995, lot 807.
Andres2, Your 40 nummi / follis has been blessed with a beautiful jade-like patina ! The bronze coinage took a dramatic drop in weight during the reign of Maurice Tiberius compared to the coins of Justinian I. The 40 nummi coin I recently posted of Justinian I, from Antioch, struck in year 16 (AD 542/543) weighed 22.71 gm, more than twice the weight of your coin . Strangely his gold coinage maintained the weight & purity of the previous emperors .
Cool 1/2 siliqua pieces @Quant.Geek - I did not know these even existed. Must have been an early use of cross-on-steps on the silver...