The epic Byzantine portrait thread

[ewomack]

 

Justin I (518-527), Æ follis- 17,95 gram- 31 mm, Constantinople mint; Obv: DN IVSTINVS PP AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; rev: Large M, below, A; *-* in fields, above cross, CON in exergue; Sear 62; MIB 11

[Hrefn]

Here is Justin with his two different reverses, one the traditional Victory or Nike with a Rho-cross, the second a facing angel in more masculine garb.                                                                                               

[Rand]

Justin I. Solidus (21mm, 4.46 g, 6h). Constantinople mint, 2nd officina. Struck 519-527. 

Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. Auction 85. 15/09/2010

[Hrefn]

And here is an Ostrogothic tremissis featuring Justin.                                .

High relief tremissis of Ostrogothic Italy in the name of Justin I (518-27 AD) was in the Subjack collection ex: I. Vecchi 14, #1384.  1.48 grams. COMOB in the exergue, and a six-pointed star in the reverse field.  Very similar obverse to MEC I 123 attributed to the Rome mint and Athalaric 526-534 AD.  Purchased from Harlan Berk

[Simon]

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

[Broucheion]

Hi All,

JUSTIN I (10 Jul 518 - 01 Aug 527 CE)
EGYPT, ALEXANDRIA Undated: after 525/526 CE

Æ 12 Nummi
Size: 16x1 7mm
Weight: 2.38 g
Axis: 0
Broucheion Collection B-1998-09-17.001

Obv: Justin diademed and cuirassed bust facing right. Legend: [DNIV]STI - NVSPAVG. Dotted border.
Rev: Large IB with cross between. In exerge: AΛЄΞ. Solid border.
Refs: Sear Byzantine-112; MIB-0068.
Provenance: Ex Wayne C Phillips

Note: Bijovski (Gold Coin and Small Change: Monetary Circulation in Fifth-Seventh Century Byzantine Palestine, p 202) : "While the principles of Anastasius’s monetary reform were applied in Egypt, the monetary system based on the follis and its fractions (M, K, I, pentanummium and nummus) was never adopted for local use. When in 525/526 the Fiscal Register from the village of Aphrodito in Low Thebes was recorded, most of the currency was still nummi (Zuckerman 2004:22, 58-59). Reformed coinage was only introduced at the end of Justin I’s reign, when a new local denomination was created specifically for use in Egypt and was minted exclusively in Alexandria: the dodecanummium or 12 nummi, represented by the Greek numeral IB (with a cross between letters)."

- Broucheion

[Hrefn]

1 hour ago, Simon said:

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

Subjack had a good eye, and I suspect less limited funds than we mortals.  I am always pleased when I can obtain a coin from his collection.  The Merovingian solidus featuring Anastasius I posted previously is also ex:  Subjack collection.  His coins were auctioned by Italo Vecchi, a name which has been in the news lately.  Subjack had the Migration period/Dark Ages coin collection without peer, when fewer people were attracted to that area of specialization.  

[Severus Alexander]

2 hours ago, Simon said:

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

Noooo! Don't do that, @Simon!! 😭

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

My Justins are mostly old Allen Berman 'junk box' coins and are unphotographed.

I do recall an imitative one, with IAVSTINVS instead of the correct spelling.

[O-Towner]

Couple more interesting Justin I types:

Justin I  Ae Pentanummium; uncertain mint (14mm, 2.0gms)
Obv: D N IVSTINVS P P AV; Diademed and cuirassed bust right.
Rev. Є within large Π; in left and right field, star; above, cross; below, B

Ref: SBC113

Justin I  Ae Follis; Nicomedia mint (30mm,16.5gms)
Obv: D N IVSTINVS P P AV; Diademed and cuirassed bust right, cross above
Rev. Large M, cross above and to right, star to left, A below; NIKM in exergue

Ref: SBC 86

[Severus Alexander]

Back when Byzantine coins were harder to come by, I found it quite difficult to find a decent portrait of Justin I in AE.  This is what I came up with:

It has the same star-on-shoulder detail as one of my Anastasius coins above.

Since then I also picked up this neat Cherson coin, a pentanummium (only 13mm):

I can't really pick between the above two portraits.

The short joint reign period with Justinian in 527 is also included in this slot.  This is the only one I have, another pentanummium:

... which I also like for its portrayal of Tyche on the reverse, a quasi-departure from the usual Christian types.

[Rand]

In a different thread, @Tejas showed the most beautiful (Visigothic) tremissis with the name of Justin I have ever seen.

PS. This is not the coin below - the link changes to this picture.

 

Edited June 4, 2023 by Rand

[wittwolff]

[Valentinian]

Here are two coins of Justin, 518-527:

Thessalonica mint,
THESSOB in exergue
30-29 mm. 17.68 grams.
Sear 78. DOC 23.  MIBE 70 (same obverse die)



31-29 mm. 17.98 grams.
Antioch mint
ANTX in exergue
Remarkably high relief and fine portrait, plus it is the "cross above head" variety.
Sear 100. MIBE Justin 58
 

[Jims,Coins]

minted at Constantinople during the reign of Justin I between 10 July 518 – 1 Aug. 527. Obv. D.N.IVSTINVS.P.P.AVG.: diad., dr. and cuir. bust r. Rev. Large M between two stars, above, cross, beneath, Officina letter, in ex. CON BCVS #62

[O-Towner]

Here's a coin of the short-lived Justin and Justinian joint reign:

Justin & Justinian (April - August 527 AD) Ae Half Follis, Constantinople mint (25.8mm, 8.3gms)

Obv: D N IVSTIN ε IVSTINIAN P AV; Diademed and cuirassed bust of Justin right

Rev: Large K; Cross to left, stars above and below, ε to right

Ref: SB 126A

On to Justinian:

Justinian (527 565 AD) Ae Decanummium, Carthage mint (18.5mm, 3.5gms)

Obv: D N IVSTINIANVS P AV; Diademed and cuirassed bust right with Christogram on breast

Rev: Large I; cross to left, stars to either side, cross above KART in exergue

Ref: SB 268

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by O-Towner

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

It's Monday June 5th at 12:00 PDT so that means it's time for the high-roller Justinianus, who spent the money that Anastasius had carefully saved.

Justinian I (527-565 A.D.) Pre-reform 40 nummi piece.

AE Follis, Constantinople Mint, 10 grams, 28mm

Obverse: Diademed, Draped and Cuirassed Bust Right, DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG

Reverse: Large M, cross above, star to left and right, officina letter below

Reference: SB 160, Dumbarton Oaks Collection 30.

Factoid: Justinian was not averse to re-naming cities. In addition to Antioch-is-now-Theopolis there was the renaming of the city of Coptos (modern day Qift) in Egypt as Justinianopolis, among others, though just walking around the town on my visit nobody knew who Justinian was. I was able to rent a mare in town and ride around on horseback to the ruins of the Greco-Roman era, which are adjacent to some pharaonic-era temples which have little left but bases of columns, some hieroglyph inscribed stones lying around, and the door jambs. Min and Geb were a couple of the Tutelary gods. The town was important as the jumping off point for the Red Sea trade in copper, myrrh, elephants, and frankincense in Roman times via its road to the port city of Berenice.

[mc9]

 

 

My two best Justinianus portraits :

D N IVSTINI - ANVS P P AV : Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM /. CONOB : Victory advancing right, head left, holding wreath and globe cruciger; to right, star.
Tremissis, Constantinople, A.D. 527-565, Sear 145

 

What a nose! Never seeing something like this on a coin.

D N IVSTINI - ANVS PP AVG : Diademed bust right
Large M between two stars, cross above, CON in exergue
Follis, Constantinople, A.D.527-539, Sear 160

 

[Broucheion]

Hi All,

Justinian I (527-565 CE)
Egypt, Alexandria Undated: 539 - 543 CE

Size: 27 mm
Weight: 10.4 g
Axis: 6:00
Broucheion Collection B-2010-02-24.001

Obv: Justinian I, diademed, helmeted, and cuirassed facing bust, holding globus cruciger and shield decorated with horseman motif; cross to right. Legend: DNIVSTINI - ANVSPPAVG. Dotted border.
Rev: Large ΛΓ with cross between. In exergue: AΛЄΞ. Dotted border.
Refs: DO-273; Sear Byz-246.
Provenance: Ex-CNG eAuction 228, Lot#342.

Note - Greirson (1982) : "Justinian's reform of 539 made a brief impression at Alexandria, for there exist rare coins of this mint with facing bust and mark of value lambda gamma. They can probably be dated 539-43, like the heaviest series of folles elsewhere. Some scholars have interpreted lambda-gamma as meaning three litra, the litron being a unit occasionally referred to in papyri, but the more general view is that it is the numeral 33, i.e. 33 nummi, which though not an exact multiple of the dodecanummium was one-third of a hundred and in that way conveniently related to the solidus."

- Broucheion

[Al Kowsky]

I'm posting two coins for Justinian, a gold solidus & a bronze 40 nummi 😊. The bronze 40 nummi coins are one of the most iconic coins of the whole Byzantine series. They are large & heavy, not unlike sestertii of the 3rd century, & millions of them were made & countless thousands of them were saved by collectors. I have three in my collection & posting my favorite below.

[ewomack]

Justinian I Follis (540/1 - Year 14), Constantinople mint, Obv: DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing holding cross on globe and shield; cross to right. Rev: Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, XIIII (date) to right, A below, CON in exergue, Sear 163

[Simon]

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

[Rand]

Justinian I. 538-545. Solidus. Constantinople mint. 4.44 g 6th officina. 

I bought it hoping it was of Sicilian mint because it was die-linked to another solidus previously sold as Sicilian. In so, the recut officina 'S' would be the indiction year 6, and fit the dating of Sicilian solidi proposed by Niall Fairhead and Wolfgang Hahn based on analysis of the Monte Judica Hoard. At the time, I didn't have a good system of keeping coin records, and I could no longer find the other coin. So my coin remains attributed to Constantinople. Stylistically, the two mints are quite close, and I cannot separate them reliably. I was also intrigued by the two horizontal bars on the staff. However, the lower bar is probably the angel's thumb. Justinian coins are fascinating but beyond any hope for me to follow their dies, so I abandoned the idea and moved to another area. 

Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. Electronic Auction 285. 22/08/2012. 

 

Justinian I. 547-8. Solidus. Carthage. 4.43 g. Indiction year IA - 11.

Gitbud & Naumann. Auction 34. 09/08/2015.

 

Justinian I. 538-542. Solidus. Rome. 4,43 g. 

Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG. Auction 182. 14/03/2011.

 

Justinian I. 542-546 (I am not sure of the true dating). Solidus. 4.38 g. 

Veilinghuis Eeckhout bvba. Auction 5. 13/11/2010.

  

Edited June 5, 2023 by Rand

[CPK]

Hey, I get to play! 😄

Someday I'd like to get one of the facing bust types, but for now this is all I've got:

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Justinian I - AE 40 Nummi - 37mm., 20.77g, 6h, Antioch Year 20 Officina A -

Title: *Sear 323* Byzantine Empire. Justinian I (AD 527-565) Æ Follis
Attribution: Sear Byzantine 323 Ravenna mint
Date: Dated Year 34 - AD 560/1
Obverse: Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger, cross to right
Reverse: Large M, A/N/N/O to left, cross above, X / XX / IIII (date) in left field, RAVEN / NA below
Size: 34.13mm
Weight: 8.81 grams

Justinian I (527-565). Æ 40 Nummi (44.5mm, 20.47g, 6h). Nicomedia, year 13 (539/40). Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, holding globus cruciger and shield; cross to r. R/ Large M; date across fields; B// NIK. Sear 201

 

Here's some of mine.  The Ravenna 40 nummi are super rare, and virtually never in good condition.