Blessings of the Season to all!

[voulgaroktonou]

Καλά Χριστούγεννα! Blessings and good will of the Season to you all! I’ve recently  seen some wonderful ancient coin trees. Here’s my little Byzantine coin tree. The mint of all is Constantinople, except for the top one, a Carthage fraction of Maurice Tiberius, Sear 551.

Row 2: Constantine XI, Bendall 129, Bendall 110. One eighth stavrata.

Row 3: first two: John VII as regent, Sear 2562; last coin, Manuel II, Sear 2552. Half stavrata.

Row 4: John V, Sear 2510. Stavrata.

Row 5: Manuel II. First coin, Sear 2548; remaining coins, Sear 2549. Stavrata.

Last 2 coins: John VIII,  Sear 2564. Stavrata.

[sand]

@voulgaroktonou That's a fascinating collection of very late Byzantine silver coins. I only have 2. I could try to arrange them in a tree pattern, but they would be a Charlie Brown tree. Here they are. A Manuel II half stavraton, and a John VIII stavraton. Merry Christmas!

COIN DESCRIPTIONS

Manuel II. AR Half Stavraton. Minted 1391 AD To 1425 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2551. Grierson 1517. Maximum Diameter 20.2 mm. Weight 3.68 grams. Obverse : Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front, With Halo. Reverse : Manuel II Bust Facing Front, Wearing Crown With Pendilia, With Halo, "M-A-N-O-V-H-Lambda" Greek For "Manuel" Clockwise Starting At 12 O'Clock.

John VIII. AR Stavraton. Minted 1425 AD To 1448 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2563. LPC Page 172 Type 1. Maximum Diameter 23.0 mm. Weight 6.76 grams. Obverse : Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front, With Halo. Reverse : John VIII Bust Facing Front, Wearing Crown With Pendilia, With Halo, "IWAN" Greek For "John" In Outer Legend Clockwise Starting At 12 O'Clock.

[JeandAcre]

Best of the season right back at you, especially @voulgaroktonou.  And that's the most late Byzantine I've ever seen in one place. Quietly amazing.

...Regarding the differences in the liturgical calendar, going back to having been Protestant before I was even Christian (know that kind of people? promise you, I sure have), we don't even go up to Epiphany.  Bad on us.

Edited December 18, 2023 by JeandAcre

[voulgaroktonou]

13 hours ago, sand said:

@voulgaroktonou That's a fascinating collection of very late Byzantine silver coins. I only have 2. I could try to arrange them in a tree pattern, but they would be a Charlie Brown tree. Here they are. A Manuel II half stavraton, and a John VIII stavraton. Merry Christmas!

COIN DESCRIPTIONS

Manuel II. AR Half Stavraton. Minted 1391 AD To 1425 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2551. Grierson 1517. Maximum Diameter 20.2 mm. Weight 3.68 grams. Obverse : Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front, With Halo. Reverse : Manuel II Bust Facing Front, Wearing Crown With Pendilia, With Halo, "M-A-N-O-V-H-Lambda" Greek For "Manuel" Clockwise Starting At 12 O'Clock.

John VIII. AR Stavraton. Minted 1425 AD To 1448 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2563. LPC Page 172 Type 1. Maximum Diameter 23.0 mm. Weight 6.76 grams. Obverse : Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front, With Halo. Reverse : John VIII Bust Facing Front, Wearing Crown With Pendilia, With Halo, "IWAN" Greek For "John" In Outer Legend Clockwise Starting At 12 O'Clock.

@Sand, your two coins would grace ANY collection of Palaeologan silver! And your John VIII even has 2 (mostly) visible lines of inscription! One of the reasons I enjoy so many duplicates of the stavrata is that one must examine a fist full of them in order to construct one full legend! 🙂 On the other hand, when it comes to the earlier miliaresia, I am happy to have one nice one each for the various Sear examples, but I never mind adding duplicate stavrata to my modest collection.

[voulgaroktonou]

15 hours ago, JeandAcre said:

Best of the season right back at you, especially @voulgaroktonou.  And that's the most late Byzantine I've ever seen in one place. Quietly amazing.

...Regarding the differences in the liturgical calendar, going back to having been Protestant before I was even Christian (know that kind of people? promise you, I sure have), we don't even go up to Epiphany.  Bad on us.

Dear @JeandAcre, Thank you for your kind comment.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Quietly amazing is a pretty good way to describe voulgaroktonou. The best of holiday wishes to all!

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all!

A wonderful coin tree. I'll post my recent Leu win featuring the Virgin Mary along with the familiar Christ Pantocrator facing portrait. 

I did watch the "The Greatest story Ever Told" on Saturday on TCM featuring Max von Sydow as Christ, Jose Ferrer as the villainous Herod, and oddly Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate.

A bit dated but that's OK. One has to admit that the portrait of Christ looks a bit like that on the Shroud of Turin, but I digress...

Edited December 18, 2023 by Ancient Coin Hunter

[JeandAcre]

Why not.  Here's my best anonymous follis.  I really like how the obverse edge legend,  +EMMANOVHA (Immanuel), is virtually intact.  Can't count on that with these folles!

[Marsyas Mike]

The mint didn't do a very good job with this one, but it's the thought that counts - Christ the King:

[JeandAcre]

@Marsyas Mike, I'm needing that one. 

Here's my other example, with overstriking of something earlier, instead of doublestriking from the same set of dies.  I've never been able to squint out what the original one was (...any help would be cordially welcome!), but I like how the arm, in the right obverse field, evokes, for one, Matthew 3, from verse 13.  Exactly to your point, it's the thought that counts.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Here's my highest grade one, by wear, complete with a large, old chip.

Anonymous Follis Class A2 - AE Follis - 28mm, 12.25 large chip at 1 o'clock SB 1813

 

Here's my largest one: one that I bought from Simon.

Anonymous Follis Class A2 - 35mm., 15.2g.,  ex Simon - Fine  S 1813, Forum table 12

 

 

[JeandAcre]

@Nerosmyfavorite68, I'm really needing both of those.  If I went any further into the esthetics, it would be at risk of stepping into a theological pond, without the requisite wading boots.  But they both really resonate.