I don't really collect Byzantine, but this one was hard to pass up. Frequently the facial details are lost to wear or weak strikes, and I thought this example was quite crisp. I'll have to do a little reading to attribute - I'm burned out on coining at the moment but I thought I'd throw it out there...
It's a beauty JA...Definitely impossible not to grab... I assume it's one of the 'Anonymous' types', but which ruler escapes me...How one distinguishes from among them will be interesting to read in this thread---especially since I have about three of them, one similar to yours and Bing's and one below:
Well mine is attributed to the time of Romanus III - there's a hint in the title of the thread. As to how the anonymous folles are assigned to different periods, I'm sure someone other than myself can shed some light on the matter.
that's one of the nicest I've seen JA. I have a poor one of these shaped like a guitar pick...i'll be darned if I lost my pics of it. Trust me, you're not really missing out on anything by not seeing the pictures. so you've added another coin to your collection of coins you don't collect hu?!
That is quite a clear Jesus face on your coin, John. Those are definitely difficult to find! I have a manger full of Christ coins which I still haven't spent much time with. Maybe I'll dig them out, photograph them, and try to attribute them this evening. Here's a fun overstrike. The reverse looks like Jesus peeking through your window, holding a can of Heineken. Romanus IV Diogenes, 1068-1071 AE Follis 10.57 g Constantinople Obv: IC-XC over NI-KA to left and right of bust of Christ facing, dotted cross behind head, wearing pallium and colobium, holding book of Gospels with both hands Rev: C-R P-Δ in the four angles of a cross with globe and two dots at each extremity, X in the centre. Ref: Sear 1866, DO-8 A couple of others which I attributed some time ago. Those attributions may not be correct. Basil II and Constantine VIII, CE 976-1028 Class A3 anonymous AE follis?, 26 mm, 8.0 gm Obv: (letters left), bust of Christ, facing, with nimbate cross behind head, holding book of gospels, crescent in each limb of the cross Rev: +IhSUS XRISTUS bASILEU bASILE in four lines, ornament below Ref: SB 1818? Another somewhat messy overstruck follis: Romanus IV, CE 1068-1071 Class G anonymous AE follis, 27 mm, 7.6 gm Obv: IC-XC to left and right of bust of Christ, nimbate, facing, right hand raised, scroll in left, all within border of large dots Rev: MP-QV to left and right of Mary, nimbate, hands raised, all inside border of large dots Ref: SB 1867
Great new OP-coin, my friend ... hmmm, I don't have an example of Romanus-III (ummm, or any of the Romanus brothers *sigh*) Oh, but a do have a sweet example an Anonymous Folles ... =>Basil II & Constantine VIII (featuring Christ Pantokrator) => oh, and he still has a decent amount of snout showing, eh?