I have been in the market for a Tiberius II Follis for a few years now. Most of the time what kept me away from getting one was the price or something shinier flashing my way so the money went elsewhere. Recently our Ex. poster Ken Dorney posted some new coins at his shop and this was one of them. It was priced well & with a coupon I had, it was priced even better. It does have a couple copper spots showing but I only cared about a full face & this had it. So I am finally happy to knock this emperor off my Byzantine list. So many more to go.... Tiberius II Constantine, (578 - 582 A.D.) Æ Follis O: D M TIB CONSTANT P P, Crowned bust of Tiberius facing wearing consular robes and holding mappa and eagle tipped scepter. R: Large M, ANNO on left, cross above, GI on right, NIKOB in exergue. 13.43g 30mm Nicomedia Mint DOC 30b, Sear 441
Nice full-faced example, @Mat ! I only have one coin of this ruler: Tiberius II Constantine AD 574-582 and Anastasia. Byzantine Æ half-follis, 5.02 g, 20.4 mm, 7 h. Thessalonica, AD 579. Obv: dmTibCONS TANTPPAV, Nimbate Tiberius and Anastasia seated facing on double throne; he holds globus cruciger, she a scepter. Rev: Large K; above, cross; to left, A/N/N/O; to right, regnal indicator V (=5); beneath, TЄS. Refs: Berk 398; DOC 23; SB 439; MIBE 65.
Picked this one up recently as my first Tiberius II: TIBERIUS II CONSTANTINE (578-582). 3/4 Follis or 30 Nummi. Constantinople.Obv: D M TIЬ CONSTANT P P AVI. Crowned, draped and cuirassed bust facing. Rev: Large XXX; cross above; CON Γ in exergue. Sear 432. Condition: Good very fine. Weight: 11.57 g. Diameter: 34 mm. Ex N Naumann Auction 84, 01 December 2019, Lot 560.
There are some ancient coins that are more impressive in hand than in photos. Large coins cannot have their sizes adequately conveyed by photos. The size on your screen of a tiny 9 mm coin can be the same as of a massive 36 mm coin--you need to know what "36 mm" really means before you can appreciate the image of a big coin. 36-34 mm. 17.42 grams. Large. Tiberius II, 578-582. Year 5 = 578/9. How can that be? We reckon his reign as beginning in 578 when Justin II died and Tiberius II took over. But Justin II had been mentally ill (older books say "insane") for years and Sophia (his wife) and Tiberius II, the regent for Justin's last four years, actually headed the government. So, when Tiberius II become emperor, he reckoned as if he already had had almost four years of rule. There are a very few coins of Tiberius from year 4. Year 5 was the first common year, and it saw a temporary improvement in coin quality that is not much written about. If you had this giant 36 mm coin in hand alongside a typical 30 mm or 28 mm Justin II and Sophia follis, you would see (and feel) that there had been a substantial change. The improvement did not last long. The above coin is year 5. My "year 7" piece is only 31 mm. If you want a massive AE of Tiberius II, look for year 5.
My preamble is that I now have two of these and am happy. I picked up the new one at the New York International because it's much nicer than the first, compliments of Alan Berman. For the preamble, I have not had a chance to photo it but will share when I get that done. Tiberius II can be a challenge. Justinian I's are all over the place, which makes me happy. Tib II are, in my experience much more difficult. The attached has a bonus as it has a very nice cs of Heraclius. More bang for the buck. More to come later. Got to dust off the camera and associated stuff. Hang in there all of you, and stay safe.
Tiberius II makes for an interesting study. He certainly was not perfect, but he seems to have been more generous than most emperors, and more concerned with justice and equity than many. About 4 years ago I gave up the search for a nice follis, and stepped (barely) into gold with a tremissis. δ M COSTANTINVS P P AV ЧICTOR TIbЄRI AЧG / CONOB 1.51 gr. 16.7 mm. David Sear 425
