Featured My first Islamic (Umayyad) Byzantine Imitation (I think)

I got this by accident in an eBay lot and had a hard time attributing it. I thought it was Constans II or something from Heraclius. Apparently this is an Islamic imitation of a Byzantine follis - I found a couple of others online in auction records (see my attribution notes below).

Interestingly, they both had the same fake Byzantine reign-date, although mine is out of order compared to the two I found in auctions. I enhanced some of the details, since my specimen is pretty cruddy. That loopy thing around the emperor seems to be a characteristic of these Umayyad imitations - I've never really seen that on a Byzantine coin, although many of you out there have a lot more experience than I do at this sort of thing.

Any corrections would be welcome. And please share any of this sort of thing you might have.



Umayyad Caliphate Æ Fals
Mu'awiya I ibn Abi Sufyan
(c. 660s - 680 A.D.)
Dimashq (Damascus) Mint
Standing imperial figure, with long cross & globus cruciger; [bird] on T left, Λ/Є/O r. /
Large M; staurogram above, (crescent below?); A/N/O left; II/Ч/X right; ΔAMI in exergue.
(4.69 grams / 18 mm)

Attribution Notes:

This specimen is very similar to lots in CNG: eAuction 298 and Classical Numismatic Group - Electronic Auction 443, Lot 672. Both lots have reverse dates X/Ч/II to right; this one is in different order: II/Ч/X
SICA I, 560-2; Walker 7; DOCAB 49-51; Album 3517.1.

 

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Very cool!
I know very little about Byzantine coins and this would've fooled me.

 

...kool...these are ancient coins that have a place in history too...

 

Great job attributing your coin, @Marsyas Mike and well illustrated. Here's a coin that may be in this category - I have not been able to clearly attribute.

Contemporary Imitation? or Heraclius, 613-643, AE Follis, Constantinople Mint
Obv: Full-length figures on Heraclius, Heraclius Constantine on right, (Martina, on left?) all facing each wearing crown and chlamys and holding globus-cruciger
Rev: Large "M", A below, + above, monogram left, X/Ч/II to right, CON in exergue
Size: 25mmx22.5mm, 8.36g

 

That is very interesting, Sulla80. It is hard for me to say whether it is Byzantine or an imitation - it has the same date arrangement as my OP and the others I found, but the two figures on the front are considerably different. That the "CON" is clearly there is different too. Interesting. From what (very) little I know, these Islamic-Byzantine types are extensive and pretty bewildering.

 

Your attribution looks right. The coin looks like #46-48 from Foss' book "Arab-Byzantine Coins: An Introduction, with a Catalogue of the Dumbarton Oaks Collection" (Clive Foss, ISBN: 978-0-88402-318-0, Paperback, 2008). I'm sure it's available in multiple places.

-Broucheion

 

Thank you for that reassurance Broucheion. I am very, very new to this kind of material (this is my first one, actually) - so I need all the help I can get.

 

Here's one from my old folders. They are classified as Arab-Byzantine. They were issued after the occupation of Byzantine cities by Arabs during the second half of the seventh century. The following coin has the name of Homs (Emesa) in right field of obverse, engraved in Arabic. Hope that could help a bit. Good Luck.

 

That is a lovely example. Nice strike, patina, etc.