Tejas Posted January 26 · Member Share Posted January 26 (edited) I got this semissis below, mainly because it was surprisingly inexpensive. Semisses are a scarce denomination that is rarely seen on this forum. So I thought I share it here: Anastasius I. 491-518. AV Semissis (18mm, 2.15 g, 6h). Constantinople mint. Struck 492-507. Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Victory seated right on arms, inscribing shield set on knee; star to left, reversed staurogram to right; CONOB. DOC 8; MIBE 9; SB 6. While the coin is in EF, note that somebody engraved a small staurogram next to the staurogram on the reverse. Interestingly, the staurogram on the coin is inverted, i.e. the Rho is pointed in the wrong direction. The engraved staurogram is correctly orientated. Please show us your semissis or any other rarely seen denomination, or coins that are engraved with religious symbols. Edited January 26 by Tejas 19 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rand Posted January 26 · Supporter Share Posted January 26 (edited) This is an interesting post. Indeed, semisses are so much less common that other denominations that this raises a question why they were needed at all. For example, for the 491-492 Anastasius Constantinple mint coins, my obverse die projections are: solidus - 40 tremissis - 8 semissis - 1 Several my semisses: Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung. Auction 253. 05/03/2018 Numismatik Naumann (formerly Gitbud & Naumann). Auction 40. 07/02/2016 Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. Electronic Auction 435. 02/01/2019 Heritage Auctions, Inc. Auction 3045. 12/01/2016 Edited January 26 by Rand 17 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tejas Posted January 26 · Member Author Share Posted January 26 9 minutes ago, Rand said: This is an interesting post. Indeed, semisses are so much less common that other denominations that this raises a question why they were needed at all Beautiful coins! I like the first one in particular. I suppose that semisses, i.e. a half-denomination would be natural for us today, but in a monetary system that was dominated by solidi and tremisses, i.e. full denomination and third denominations, the semissis sat awkwardly in between. Just a guess. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth77 Posted January 26 · Member Share Posted January 26 Very interesting, I think I see a full monogram there rather than just the staurogram: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tejas Posted January 26 · Member Author Share Posted January 26 Hm, yes possibly its not a Staurogram, but a personal monogram. I never thought about it. However, there is a form of the Staurogram with a split stem. This has been used on some later solidi. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rand Posted January 26 · Supporter Share Posted January 26 Such 'drawings' are very common on coins of the period, particularly on tremisses. We discussed a possibiity of them being 'runes' on another thread and could not find good evidence to support this. It is thus likely they are a kind of personal markings of unclear purpose, possibly owners had to justify the coin belonged to them? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Conduitt Posted January 26 · Supporter Share Posted January 26 Do we know what they were for? Presumably, they weren't meant as currency as such. Maybe the emperor handed them out to particular people on particular occasions, like Maundy money. Then you might mark your own. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tejas Posted January 26 · Member Author Share Posted January 26 Interesting, I missed that discussion about runes. Some of these markings could just be scratches. However, the sign on my coin looks very deliberate and controlled. Here is a Germanic (Gothic) imitation, which may show runes or pseudo-runes. I showed this to a rune expert, who believed that these are pseudo-runes, i.e. writing trying to copy runes. Of course they are not engraved, but minted as part of the design: Imitation of Probus Antoninian or aureus (?) Obv.: Bust left with spear and shield, pseudo Germanic runes Rev: Quadriga Found: Tshernovitskaya oblast, Kelmenetski raion Weight: 4.54 gr Small hole at 23 o'clock 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrefn Posted January 26 · Supporter Share Posted January 26 I picked up a single example, just because my collection lacked any semisses. The reverse die was worn and cracked, near the end of its useful life. But it would suggest that for this issue, the mint struck as many coins as it could, for the die. The obverse is nice. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rand Posted January 26 · Supporter Share Posted January 26 1 hour ago, John Conduitt said: Presumably, they weren't meant as currency as such Their use for a kind of distribution is a possibility. This could be needed to reflect the ranks of recipients. There were a few designated Constantinople donative uses during the Anastasius reight, both as solidi and 'aurei'. Smaller denominations possibly did not merit special designs as they were expected to enter circulation. Semisses are found in mixed hoards, and most are in a circulated condition. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rand Posted January 26 · Supporter Share Posted January 26 21 minutes ago, Tejas said: may show runes or pseudo-runes These are quite cleary runic style. Is it possible to decipher any meaning from them? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agrippa Posted January 26 · Member Share Posted January 26 Here is my semissis. It is of the 2nd reign of Justinian II and I only later found out it was a semissis as the weight was wrongly mentioned in the auction description. Also later somebody pointed me on an error in the obverse legend: D N hIS ChS REX ERGNANTIYM instead of REGNANTIYM. The weight is 2,15 gram and it is 17,3 mm. The coin looks ok for me but as I have not handled a lot of Byzantine coins any opinion is very welcome! 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy_collector Posted January 26 · Member Share Posted January 26 Nice addition, @Tejas. Here is my semissis. Minted during Arcadius at Constantinople. 🙂 AV gold semissis Arcadius, Constantinople mint 392-393 A.D. Obv: D N ARCADIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM, Victory seated right on cuirass, inscribing VOT X / MVLT XX in four lines on shield set on knee; Christogram in right field 2.08g. 17.50mm RIC X 16; Depeyrot 52/2 Germania Inferior Numismatics. June 2022 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis JJ Posted January 27 · Supporter Share Posted January 27 (edited) I like late Roman/Byzantine fractional gold, but don't have a Semissis yet... Graffiti doesn't usually bother me. I often find it an interesting addition to a coin's object biography, like countermarks, and don't usually see it as "damage." I wonder if anyone has done any basic quantitative research on the cross graffiti found on so many Byzantine gold coins: How many have at least one cross? More common on obverse or reverse? Does it affect the frequency if there's already a cross in the design on that side? How often is there more than one on the same side? (I seem to recall seeing at least one hoard report that tabulated how many of the coin had one....maybe I can find it.) More than half my Byzantine AV/EL coins have one. My Justinian Tremissis has at least THREE! From N to A in IVSTINIANVS at the top of the obverse (the center one is a bit dinged). They look relatively big in the enlargement but are tiny in hand & difficult to see with the naked eye. (CNG noted only "graffiti B on obverse" which is around the diadem ties behind the head! Maybe all slightly easier to see in their photo.) Justinian AV Tremissis (17mm, 1.45 g, 6h). Constantinople, c. 527-565 CE. Obv: D N IVSTINIANVS PP AV. Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM. Victory advancing right, head left, holding wreath and globus cruciger; star to right; CONOB. Ref: DOC 19; Sear Byz 145. Prov: Ex Jack A. Frazer Collection (CNG EA 455 [30 Oct 2019], 394), acquired from Harlan J. Berk Buy-Bid Sale #27 (13 Sep 1983), Lot 8. Edited January 27 by Curtis JJ 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rand Posted January 27 · Supporter Share Posted January 27 Some of the markings/graffiti are likely from metal testing. Gold-plated coins are known for even less common semisses, for example: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4636407 https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=9035608 Making a cross-like scratch would no be inconceivable for testing. However, making multiple testings seems excessive and, as mentioned earleir in the thread some look deliberately made symbols. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Conduitt Posted January 27 · Supporter Share Posted January 27 (edited) 3 hours ago, Rand said: Some of the markings/graffiti are likely from metal testing. Gold-plated coins are known for even less common semisses, for example: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4636407 https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=9035608 Making a cross-like scratch would not be inconceivable for testing. However, making multiple testings seems excessive and, as mentioned earleir in the thread some look deliberately made symbols. If it was for testing, then everyone who received it could make another mark, as happens with peck marks, chop marks and test cuts on other coins. You can't trust someone else's mark, apparently. Perhaps the testing was done by some central authority. If the church collected payments, for example, they might have a standard way of testing with a scratch, and in that scenario you might as well go for a cross or a chi rho. A bit like someone validating your ticket with the same squiggle. Edited January 27 by John Conduitt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tejas Posted January 27 · Member Author Share Posted January 27 18 hours ago, Rand said: These are quite cleary runic style. Is it possible to decipher any meaning from them? Unfortunately, no. The expert runologist I contacted said that he thinks that these are pseudo-Runes, i..e somebody imitating Runes who could not realy write Runes. Apparent three signs can be interpreted as Runes on the coin. Runes (German "raunen" meaning whispering in a secretive way) had also magic properties for the Germanic peoples. It could also be that the signs themselves where associtated with a meaning that is lost on us. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tejas Posted January 27 · Member Author Share Posted January 27 (edited) 2 hours ago, John Conduitt said: If the church collected payments, for example, they might have a standard way of testing with a scratch, and in that scenario you might as well go for a cross or a chi rho. A bit like someone validating your ticket with the same squiggle. That is an interesting and plausible theory in my view. There is some research to be done on this subject. It is also possible that money changers/bankers marked these coins as having passed certain quality tests. Then again, the engraving on my semissis is tiny and would have required some effort to make. Edited January 27 by Tejas 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tejas Posted January 28 · Member Author Share Posted January 28 (edited) The university of Heidelberg is running a project where they collect grafitti on Roman coins: Materiale Textkulturen - Sonderforschungsbereich 933 an der Universität Heidelberg | Teilprojekte (materiale-textkulturen.de) I think most of the coins in that collection show what I would call accidential scratches, some may be test cuts and very few may be actual grafitti. Edited January 28 by Tejas 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rand Posted January 28 · Supporter Share Posted January 28 (edited) This is a good news and thank your for sharing. I am looking forward for the results. The scope seems huge with a least four centries seem covered. The context would be different in second century central Italy and fifth century Balkans. Find provenance would be crucial, so hopefully they involve Italian museum and museums in the Balkans, Eastern Europe/Ukraine. It would really ineresting if they could get access to Greek/Turkey collections. I had my coins at home today and noted a few interesting marks/grafitti. This has an inverted cross with two horizonal bar - all three lines are very precise. Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH. Auction 103. 23/03/2017 This one has grafitti, which could be a character or a set of characters on obvesrse (the reverse marks look like scratches). and rotated Roma Numismatics Limited. E-SALE 21. 31/10/2015 Edited January 28 by Rand 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc9 Posted January 29 · Member Share Posted January 29 Here is my only Semisses : Heraclius: δ N ҺЄRACLIЧS P P AVG : Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right VICTORIA AVGЧ I // CONOB : Cross potent set upon globe, text around Semissis, Constantinople, A.D.610-641, Sear 784, 2.25 gr 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tejas Posted January 29 · Member Author Share Posted January 29 Amazing, that they would accept such an odd flan for a gold coin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panzerman Posted February 3 · Member Share Posted February 3 Heck, better late then never.... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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