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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Al Kowsky, post: 3610400, member: 97383&quot;]Pictured below is a bronze follis of Anastasius, struck AD 498-518, Constantinople Mint, 5th Officina, 18.18 gm, 33 mm, 6h. Aside from some areas of encrustation it&#039;s not a bad looking coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]966760[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Pictured below is a gold solidus of Phocas, struck circa AD 607-609, Constantinople Mint, 5th Officina, 4.44 gm, 22 mm, 7h. The coin is in choice condition with a decent looking obverse, however, the reverse die looks like it was prepared by a drunk <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie9" alt=":eek:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]966761[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]966762[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Pictured below is a Byzantine bronze Enkolpion, 9th-11th century, probably made in Constantinople, 110 mm long, 47.2 mm wide, 9.7 mm thick, weight 90.6 gm. The front side depicts Saint John the Apostle, and the back side depicts the Virgin Mary, both in the Orans posture. This Enkolpion is intact &amp; in choice condition with a handsome patina. Of great importance, it hasn&#039;t been opened since ancient times to see the contents of the cross.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]966768[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]966769[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Enkolpia are hollow reliquary cross pendants worn by Christians that became very popular after the Iconoclast controversy ended in AD 843. They usually contained relics associated with religious figures, saints, or important members of the clergy. Snippets of clothing, small coins, locks of hair, inscriptions on papyrus, &amp; samples of soil from holy places have been found inside of Enkolpia. Some Enkolpia are said to contain slivers of wood from the True Cross <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie57" alt=":jawdrop:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />! These reliquaries were cast in two halves &amp; hinged at the top &amp; bottom with a movable hanger added to the top of the cross so they could be worn as pendants. They were often buried with the dead or kept in families &amp; passed down to future generations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pictured below is an Enkolpion that has been broken open at the bottom hinge to reveal the contents. Photo courtesy of the Bitola Museum in Macedonia. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]966778[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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