Nicomedia13 Posted July 12, 2023 · Member Share Posted July 12, 2023 (edited) I was lucky enough to get to visit the Istanbul museum of archeology and see their tantalizing collection of Byzantine coins. Among hundreds of exemplary coins one stood out by far! Right in the middle of the display was a huge, roughly 41 mm coin I assumed was Justinian year XIII. After I looked closer and did a BIG double take it turned out to be a Constantine the Fourth!! The strike is perfectly centered and the quality of the engraving is unusually good by even the best standards of Byzantine coinage. I tried very hard to take a picture of it through the glass, but it didn’t do it justice. We all know what 7th century bronzes look like, and this one bucks every stereotype! My mind was BLOWN! Has anyone else seen one like this? It’s almost like a miracle for a bronze from this emperor to have a large flan, perfect strike, perfect centering, not be over struck on another coin, good die engraving, readable legends, and full weight. I included a picture with it circled in red for comparison with other Byzantine coins surrounding it. I wish we could see the reverse side! Edited July 15, 2023 by Nicomedia13 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted July 12, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted July 12, 2023 Would have to agree it's an unusually good example for the period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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