Maurice Tiberius, Carthage Solidus

[Al Kowsky]

I reached a point with my ancient coin collecting goals where only 3 coins were left on my want list, & this acquisition narrows it down to 2. For the longest time a Byzantine solidus from the Carthage mint had been on my want list, it had to be a well struck coin with no problems & preferably from the reign of Maurice Tiberius. I won this coin from a recent Heritage auction for $960, including the buyer's premium. The coin had previously sold in a raw state by CNG for $975 in 2016. The coin was listed & pictured in their Classical Numismatic Review XLI.2, Summer 2016 catalog, & it was also posted in their CNG Coin Shop offerings, #433579. I used the CNG sale price as a benchmark, & was unwilling to pay over a $1,000 for it. Somewhere in it's journey the coin got slabbed by NGC. 

BYZANTINE EMPIRE. Maurice Tiberius, AD 582-602 (dated Indictional Year 2, AD 583/4). Carthage Mint. AV Solidus: 4.50 gm, 17.5 mm, 5 h. Obverse: Emperor draped & cuirassed, wearing pearl-diademed helmet with pendilia, D N mAVRI-CTib PP AN B. Reverse: Angle standing with a staurogram scepter & globus cruciger, VICTOR-IA AVGG B, CONOB in exergue. Sear 549. NGC Ch AU, Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5.

 Ex Classical Numismatic Review XLI.2, Summer 2016. 

The "Holy Grail" of Byzantine solidi from the Carthage mint is pictured below. The coin was sold by Heritage on January 21, 2021 for $96,000, including the buyer's premium 😮! The coin was issued by Maurice Tiberius for his eldest son Theodosius, when he became co-emperor with his father. Maurice was so demanding of his exhausted troops that they mutinied against him & chose Focus as their emperor. The emperor's fleeing family was captured & brought to the Harbor of Eutropius at Chalcedon. Maurice was forced to watch his 5 sons being executed before losing his own head 🥹. His wife empress Constantina, & their 3 daughters were spared until Focus learned that they were plotting against him. The 4 of them were then executed in the same place as the rest of the family 😢.

Harlan Berk in his book Roman Gold Coins of the Medieval World, 383-1453 A.D., writes "Very similar in portrait & legend to 200 Nummi of Carthage. 3 Recorded: 1 stolen, possibly melted, another never seen, the last & possibly unique here."

NVMVS FORVMS members are welcome to post any of their Carthage mint coins on this thread ☺️.

[ela126]

What an excellent coin with a solid portrait. Not too bad of a price at all either.

I have a few lesser material Carthage pieces, all of which I enjoy.

 

Justinian 1 - Siliqua - 1.19g - SB 253 HTI

Justinian 1 Follis - 17.71g - SB 257 - Struck 534-539

 

Justinian 1 - 2 nummi -1.41g - SB 277

 

Forgot my favorite one.

Phocas - 20 Nummi - 7.75g - SB 685

poorly struck obverse and very chunky 

Edited September 8 by ela126
New coin

[Hrefn]

 @Al Kowsky, I think you got a good buy on the Carthaginian solidus.  Here are my examples.  The first is on a large flan which would not be out of place from the Constantinople mint, but the style and the indiction year in the obverse inscription mark it as certainly of Carthage.    4.39 gms.    Sear-548, DO 220.  Purchased from CNG sale XXII, lot #778, 9/2/1992. 

The second coin has the thicker, smaller module which is characteristic of Carthage, and again references the indiction year.   Dated AN (gamma) for I believe 599/600 AD.  Purchased form A H Baldwin and Sons at the NY International at the Waldorf-Astoria 1/2004.

[Al Kowsky]

18 hours ago, Hrefn said:

 @Al Kowsky, I think you got a good buy on the Carthaginian solidus.  Here are my examples.  The first is on a large flan which would not be out of place from the Constantinople mint, but the style and the indiction year in the obverse inscription mark it as certainly of Carthage.    4.39 gms.    Sear-548, DO 220.  Purchased from CNG sale XXII, lot #778, 9/2/1992. 

The second coin has the thicker, smaller module which is characteristic of Carthage, and again references the indiction year.   Dated AN (gamma) for I believe 599/600 AD.  Purchased form A H Baldwin and Sons at the NY International at the Waldorf-Astoria 1/2004.

Hrefn, Both coins are interesting but the 2nd coin is a standout, the perfect centering & strong strike make it special 🤩. It looks like the engraver struggled to squeeze in the oversized lettering on the reverse 😅. CNG 124, lot 735 is another example of a Maurice Tiberius solidus from Carthage, dated IY 6, see photo below.