Rare Byzantine

There are few reasons that pushed me to consider this coin of Maurice Tiberius as rare. First I found no reference on Wildwids. Then the regnal year has some different numerals to me, add to this that such fine condition of a Byzantine coin under Maurice Tiberius is generally scarce. The Follis was struck at Antioch' ( Theopolis ) and the mint mark is THEUP. It weighs 10.17 g. Please post a comment , if you have.

 

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That "U" means 5. It is very common. But I do not know wheter regnal year 16 is unsual or not if that was what you had in mind.

It is sear 533 because of the "M".

Here mine with sear 532 and 533 (the difference is the "M"):




And for the record:
Those coins of Maurice in Theupolis are VERY common, probably the most common in early Byzantine coin period I think alongisde with the coins of Justin II and Sofia. And some of the cheapest.

And they are actually very decent, it was first under Phocas and Heraclius that the coins became crude due to civil war and the war against Persians that lasted for 26 years.

 

congrats a nice addition

 

Thank you. As far as I know, Epsilon is 5 in Greek whereas in Latin 5 is represented by V. That's why I found the letter U weird. Then I think that my knowledge in Byzantine coins is still very limited. And as sister Tif says " always Learning".

 

Interesting coins. I have exactly one Maurice Tiberius from an uncleaned hoard. And it is very unclean! If I tried to clean it the surfaces would fall off. It also may have bronze disease so I keep it quarantined from my other coins!

 

Maurice Tiberius coins are very common. Even FDC Solidi/ Semissis/ Tremissis are cheap. Same for Justin II/ Heraclius/ Constans III/ Justinian I. These guys issued a whack of coins.

 

Also, remember that Maurice was either the author or commissioned the writing of the Strategikon, a military treatise during his reign. It refers to the tactics of various of the Empire's enemies including the Avars, Slavs, and Persians. And discusses the optimal formations for the Army both on the march and in battle, the use of the bow by the mounted cavalry, their arms and armor, and epigrams for those who would succeed in the role of the general.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategikon_of_Maurice

 

Yep, it's a regnal year 16.

For Byzantine denominations or value, the numbers equate to:

M = 40 (Follis)


K = 20 (Half Follis)


I+B = 12 (12 Nummi)


I = 10 (Decanummium)


E = 5 (Pentanummium)

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For the dating (regnal year or number of years into the reign of the emperor) on Byzantine coins, the numbers used are different than the numbers/letters used for values and equate to:

X = 10 (like Roman numerals)


G = 6 (looks like the below U but with a longer, curvy left side; a ligature of the U and I or 5+1)


U = 5 (notice the shorter left side)


I = 1 (like Roman numerals)


And, as always, Doug has a great resource: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/acmbyz.html

 

This is great! I am bookmarking it. I have an entire binder of byzantine coinage that I have been dreading the identifications!

 

I think these Antioch folles of Maurice are among the most attractive Byzantine coins. Such a great portrait style!

 

Maurice Tiberius coins are probably one of the most common out there after Anastasius, Justin I, and Justinian. Also, wildwinds doesn't hold a slot for every regnal year of every byzantine coin type of every Byzantine emperor.

 

Another webpage you might find helpful is this site which shows an example of every Byzantine coin, sorted by Sear number.

If on coins you wish to identify the legends aren't readable, a quick scroll through these pictures can be a big help .

 

TIF, Thanks for the link , it's an excellent reference tool for a quick ID. I down - loaded it on a flash drive .

 

I was like, "Hmmmm... C'mon, every coin. Really?!"

Then I clicked it.... WTH!! Every coin!

Great resource suggestion, @TIF !!!

 

Compared to Roman Imperial or Provincial, there really aren't that many Byzantine types.

 

Justin's whole post is great but all interested should study his excellent photos of the G=6 matter. I'm not at all clear on why they used 5+3 for 8 one time and 6+2 another but it is a fact we need to learn.

 

I was just shocked at the impression of the quantity I guess.... That they all were on 1 page might have exaggerated it.

Good callout... I didn't even recognize that myself. In my small, unrepresented sample size of images I clipped via Google image searches, the 5+3 appears with an X... Could the G(6) maybe not be used in conjunction with an X? What other rules can one tease out? Does there exist an example that challenges a rule?

 

Wow! I see some of my coins on this site. But every Byzantine coin? I don't see anything past S2020. Am I overlooking the obvious?

 

Thank you TIF! That is a fantastic resource, I am sure it will keep me from pulling out my hair in the coming days!

 

Great site for sure It omits Theodore Mangaphas 1188-89
Stops at Alexius IV, reason maybe the taking of Constantinople by the Latin Crusaders in 1204AD. The Empire of Nicea became the new Byzantine Empire. After 1204 the Empire was in chaos, until it was taken by Mehmet II in 1453.