Simon

@Valentinian website is excellent. The reviews are good and it answers all the questions a beginner may have. ( I really think you should have added Harlan Berks book on coppers as well. I still use it to this day.)

I think we must remember our recommendations are for two types of collectors. The collector who just wants to start collecting coins and then those of us who got hooked and took it much further, looking to add to the knowledge of the time period. 

The basics have been covered, once a collector takes it to a time period then it expands out nicely. As @TheTrachyEnjoyer said MIB for early years. It is one of the newest publications and it will be the most up to date. New Good Books on Byzantine coinage are rarer for different time periods. Lianta I believe would be the winner for Late Byzantine coinage.  Her work is an excellent way to wade through the late coinage years. Julian Bakers new book is excellent, but the focus was not on the empire but the coinage that was available in Greece at the same time, some Byzantine, most not. 

I specialize in the late empire before the fall to the Latins ( 1203), the best work I find in DOC IV, a more up to date catalog was written but it was poorly researched, but the line drawings are excellent for any collector and that is CLBC. I am looking forward to Pagona Papadopoulou work on the time period, she will differ than in the work by Baker, she follows the work of Michael Hendy, Baker seems to be a follower of D.M. Metcalf, they both had very different views on the time period. The conclusions will be very interesting. 

31 minutes ago, Qcumbor said:

Unless I read too fast the posts above, I didn't see any mention of "Die Münzen des Byzantinischen Reiches" by Andreas Urs Sommer. Although it's in german, I find it easy to use and providing a lot of useful information. At 50 € I find it a good investment for a beginner

I agree it is good, but it is based on a collection, it is missing many coins.  It does have a more up to date price guide that Sear. I have a copy and I refer to it often. Google translate makes it much more usable for the non-German speaker. 

Here is a good source of what is available. 

Byzantine - NumisWiki, The Collaborative Numismatics Project (forumancientcoins.com)

The list is very comprehensive. Still SBCV ( Sear Byzantine coins and their Values.)  is the way most of us communicate. 

I paid a small fortune for my first copy of DOC IV, now they are free. Hopefully they will overtake Sear in usage but I think it is too late for that Too many coins in the collections and by dealers are still only identified by SBCV. 

The best is the DOC series. It has the most info , here are the links to the now free 5 volume set. 

https://www.doaks.org/research/publications/books/catalogue-of-the-byzantine-coins-in-the-dumbarton-oaks-collection-and-in-the-whittemore-collection-1
https://www.doaks.org/research/publications/books/catalogue-of-the-byzantine-coins-in-the-dumbarton-oaks-collection-and-in-the-whittemore-collection-2
https://www.doaks.org/research/publications/books/catalogue-of-the-byzantine-coins-in-the-dumbarton-oaks-collection-and-in-the-whittemore-collection-3
https://www.doaks.org/research/publications/books/catalogue-of-the-byzantine-coins-in-the-dumbarton-oaks-collection-and-in-the-whittemore-collection-4
https://www.doaks.org/research/publications/books/catalogue-of-the-byzantine-coins-in-the-dumbarton

Sear  Byzantine coins and their values is the the best way to communicate with other collectors, not free but it is common. 

Grierson, very good all around look of the Byzantine coinage of the time period. 

Then Depenning on your focus, what century , the list gets better from there. 

Best,

Simon

8 minutes ago, akeady said:

Hunter S. Thompson sketch

Close , it is Duke from Doonesbury comic but he was probley modeled from Hunters S Thompson. It was a famous political type cartoon strip by Gary Trudeau. The piece was created from an artist I work with. 

Nixies I don't understand the reference.

The dollar bill was salvaged from the Andrea Doria.

Simon

I bought these two coins at different times just because the excellent condition. 

Constans II, with Constantine IV, 641-668. Follis (Bronze, 23.5 mm, 4.06 g, 6 h), Syracuse. Constans on left, resting right hand on hip and holding long staff in left, and Constantine IV, on right, holding globus cruciger in right hand, standing facing. Rev. SCL Large M; monogram above. Anastasi 157. DOC 180. MIB 209. SB 1109. A wonderful example, well struck and with an attractive brown patina. Good very fine.

And this one, also very nice condition and it came with an old ticket for Spinks and Son. By appointment to her Majesty the Queen Medalists. 

Constans II and 3 sons, SB 1110 9.21gm, edit  Weight is wrong 3.71gm 22.5mm

Thank you @sand I am very happy to add this to my library, I have been looking for some time for a copy. 

I do have one Byzantine book that is rarer but not as well known. I do not use it often, but I do treasure it. 

 Its edition size was only 200 and it is only copper coinage of the Empire issued before 1261. It was privately published in 1981. 

The author is George E Bates and it must have been a huge undertaking. This is pre computer and seems to have been typed and handwritten. His previous book was on the Sardis monographs.

As for the author, I found this on wiki.

Bates was an honorary curator of the Byzantine coins and seals section of the Fogg Museum. He was the author of a book about Byzantine coins. He was a fellow of the American Numismatic Society. (The Sardis book is easily found; this one is rarely mentioned.)

It has a couple of pages of plates in the back. 

His intro leads me to believe he started this before Sears book that was published several years earlier. I really admire his dedication. 

Simon

@Nerosmyfavorite68 I think there are many more variations than listed in DOC. I many years ago stopped looking but it is one of the most popular series of Byzantine coinage. 

This page will be very helpful for you to check out. 

Anonymous Byzantine Class A Folles - NumisWiki, The Collaborative Numismatics Project (forumancientcoins.com)

It makes it much easier to match. 

Simon

Im am not a tidy person. These top three shelves are coin related, the other shelves not shown are on Renaissance art and later. 

Today i recieved a long sought after book.  #44  out of 250, @TheTrachyEnjoyer has a copy as well. I was jealous until today. Its not easy to aquire.

22.55mm and 5.9gm , it is a very nice SBCV-842

Phocas, 602-610. Follis (Bronze, 20 mm, 3.92 g, 7 h), Cyzicus, RY 2 = 603/4. δ m FOCΔS PЄRP AVG Crowned bust of Phocas facing, wearing consular robes, holding mappa in his right hand and cross in his left. Rev. Large XXXX in center; above, ANNO; below, KYZB; in field to right, II. DOC 70 (unlisted officina letter). MIB 76. SB 665. Somewhat smoothed, otherwise, very fine

Phocas (602-610 AD). AE Follis, CONS

Condition: Very Fine

Weight: 11.30 gr
Diameter: 33 mm

Not in great condition but the portrait faces left, not the norm. 

Maurice Tiberius SBCV-566  AE 10 , 18mm 3.64 grades as F/VF, flan flaw mottled brown and green patina. 

That is a fantastic article Ross @Glebe

I particularly liked your conclusion notes. that included this sentence. 

" Many of our current ideas on this period are therefore still only provisional, and hence we should not be surprised if some of these ideas are overturned by future discoveries."

I do not think hoard evidence alone will solve the mystery behind the coinage of this confusing time period. Perhaps we will be lucky enough to find some contemporary writings that confirm what is suspected. 

27 minutes ago, sand said:

seem to have the most silvering.

You are correct, the Latin and later restored empire coins have no silver. 

Alexius III i cannot recall one with silver wash intact, as for silver content Doc IV should have a percentage table. I know it goes to 1% when you get to isaac Ii rule and i have seen coins with some silvering remaining from the silver wash. 

This is no longer a clear cut question regarding the Bulgarian issues/ faithful copies. In fact, it really depends on what Numismatist you listen too. 

Michael Hendy, Wrote DOC IV in 1999 and DOC Studies 12 in 1969. He put forth the Bulgarian imitations. 

D.M. Metcalf ( Michael) did not agree at all. His review on DOC IV is rather brutal at parts. 

I don't know what Grierson said, I suggest you check his catalog, I am traveling for the next week so I do not have access. However, Grierson seemed to be fonder of Hendy than Metcalf in his writings. 

Now for the modern Numismatist, the first that came to the plate was John Baker, he was defiantly a follower of Metcalfs works, in fact he eliminates Latin tetartera and says they were Bulgarian coinage. This is hard for me to believe , maybe one of the four was Bulgarian but not all 4. 

He also believes no Thessalonica mint was in operation during the post 1204 conquest and says more that likely did not exist in the 12th century , again he bases that on Metcalf but I cant find Metcalf writings that really touch on the issue. 

The way all of this is interpreted is by Hoard finds, Metcalf based most of his findings on the Peter and Paul hoard supposedly found somewhere in Bulgaria, however the location is really unknown.

So the answer on Bulgarian trachea/ faithful imitations  really depends on who you believe, I love Hendys work but I personally think he was wrong, they were coins issued either before Latin rule or durring. I think they were issued the same time of the clipped coins and that metal was made to duplicate the older coins of Manuel, Isaac and Alexius III. 

Try Latin rule in Vcoins. 

Lattin rule trachea are not in dispute, Here is a nice large one. 

Here is its baby brother. 

The coin has a mistake on its attribution. The coin is SBCV-2012 Not 2011.  You will see in SBCV-2011 , The Obverse does not have KERO.

Here is that example.

SBCV-2012 Does have it.  Here is a pretty one , not as nicley struck as yours but the two tone make it easy to see,

Now many dealers would list that as a 2012/2013, the reason is the legend on 2013 is the only main difference. It includes the Comnenus name, normally with the K. The difficultly is most of those coin were not made well so the legends are usually blundered. 

Here is a clean example ( I am traveling so I could not rephotograph. ) It has the legend with the Komnenus name clearly. 

As for silvering,  maybe this coin from an earlier thread appears to be heavy in silver. This is not normal, not does it appear to be silvered but a heavy silver content.  It is wither SBCV-2012/13

In DOc they have at least 10 variations , David Sear broke them into three. Another that was discussed on a earlier post has stars.

And last but not least a very nicely clipped example, ( Clippin is uncertain when it was done, either during Alexius III rule or during Latin Rule. This is SBCV-2012, 

My Best. Ex Forum Coin. Delightful example. 

 Bronze follis, DOC I 31a, Wroth BMC 70, Tolstoi 52, Hahn MIB II 35, SBCV 441, Sommer 6.17, Morrisson BnF -, Ratto -, Choice gVF, full border centering on a broad flan, bold strike, brown tone, small edge split, 1st officina, Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) mint, weight 10.572g, maximum diameter 31.3mm, die axis 180^o, 581 - 14 Aug 582 A.D.; obverse Δm TIb CONSTANT P P AVG, crowned bust facing wearing consular robes, crown with cross and pendilia, mappa in right hand, eagle-tipped scepter in left hand, cross above eagle; reverse large M (40 nummi) between ANNO and ΣI/I (year 8), cross above, NIKOA (Nikomedia, 1st officina) in exergue 

That is a very nice example @ewomack, since we are limited to two coins on the other thread I chose not to use this one. It really shows how nice your example is. 

Justin II, with Sophia. 565-578. Æ Follis (30mm, 12.87 g, 6h). Nicomedia mint, 2nd officina. Dated RY 10 (574/5). Justin and Sophia seated facing on double throne, holding globus cruciger and cruciform scepter, respectively; cross above / Large M; cross above, date across field; B//NIKO. DOC 100d; MIBE 46b; SB 369. Rough dark green patina. VF.

From the Wise Centaur Collection.

I bought this in a group lot, not from CNG. it sold a bit high from them I feel. 

Bug People Harlan Berk Called these coins. At least Sophia still has eyes. I got this one at a FUN Show before the pandemic.

Justin II and Sophia 569 AD SBCV-369 14.7gm and 32.76mm

Justin II, 565-578. Pentanummium (Bronze, 15 mm, 1.90 g, 5 h), Theoupolis (Antiochia). Monogram of Justin II. Rev. Large Є; in field to right, cross. DOC 186. MIB 65a. SB 386. Attractive earthen highlights. Very fine

Not Gorgeous, the brown hurts the beautiful green patina, but it still has its admirable qualities, large Antioch half follis. S-230?  8.7gm and 25.66mm 

Acquired in a group lot from a German collection. 

Justinian I, 527-565. Follis (Bronze, 33 mm, 14.71 g, 7 h), Theoupolis (Antiochia), 533-537. D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Justinian I to right. Rev. Large M between two stars; above, cross; below, Γ; in exergue, +THEЧP+. DOC 210c. MIB 126. SB 216. Repatinated, otherwise, good very fine

BTW, The DJ said this on Sirus today. 56 years ago today.

Another clashing of worlds between rock legends took place on a fateful night at the Saville, on June 4th, 1967. Paul McCartney and George Harrison were in the audience as The Jimi Hendrix Experience headlined and played an electrifying set at the famous venue in London.

I would have loved to see him play. 

So Spanish from the 1700's and some Jimi to attribute. TY

I don't think it is that old, I have not cleaned it yet but it is still impressive in hand. 6.5gm and 28.48mm Cool castle and a Lion? Any assistance is appreciated. 

Superb example @Hrefn, I just deleted my examples because this portrait made mine look silly. Fantastic example. 

23 hours ago, Celator said:

I don't have any information to add, other than I would like to acquire all of these denominations including the stamenon.

This is a also a questionable term again appearing in the discussion on different terms being used for coinage. The stamenon seems to be a term for concaved coinage. In DOC V Grierson seems to use the term interchangeable between trachy and stamenon. 

In Lianta she makes an interesting table but it does not seem to be universally accepted.  Here is a newer listing in DOC website. A 12th century trachy listed as a stamenon. Now perhaps she is listing the Stamenon as a non billion trachy? ( If so would that not include the Latin issues?)

Manuel I Komnenos, Billon, Stamenon, Constantinople, circa 1160-1164? — Dumbarton Oaks (doaks.org)