Something Attractive!

[ela126]

Quite like this thread!

Keeping with the recent theme of excellent strikes, here is one of my best billon scyphate coins. Nice amount of silver content (I’ve read about 7% at this time but I can’t cite that)

 

Alexis 1 - 1081-1118

Billon Aspron Trachy

Constantinople

SB 1918

4.68g

[I_v_a_n]

I can add to thread this attractive hyperpyron of Andronicus I.

Andronicus I Comnenus AD 1183-1185. Constantinople
Hyperpyron AV
29 mm, 4,30 g
MP - ΘV, the Virgin Mary seated facing on throne, holding head of Christ on breast / ΑΝΔΡΟΝΙΚΟC ΔΕCΠΟΤΗC / IC - XC, Andronicus standing facing, holding labarum and globus cruciger, and being crowned by Christ standing to right.
good very fine
Sear 1983.

[I_v_a_n]

On 4/6/2024 at 6:21 PM, voulgaroktonou said:

In the Byzantine series, I can perhaps think of no more historically significant coinage than the decidedly unaesthetically pleasing final issues of Contantine XI (never mind that in an unsupportable way, I find them beautiful. 😊)

I think approximately the same level of historical importance can be found in connection with empress Irene sole reign and connected to this event rising of Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne. I have a solidus with Irene portrait and all the members of iconoclastic dynasty (also historically significant period). Unfortunately these coins also not at the top of aesthetics.

 

Constantine VI and Irene, with Leo III, Constantine V, and Leo IV AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 787-790. COҺSTIҺOS C' C' b' [...], Constantine V, Leo III, and Leo IV seated facing, each crowned and draped / S IRIҺI AVΓ' MI[TR], crowned facing busts of Constantine IV, draped and holding globus cruciger, and Irene, wearing loros and holding [globus cruciger] and cruciform sceptre; two crosses above, pellet between. Cf. Füeg 2 (C.2.13 (same die as illustration?)/Ir.2); DOC -; Sear 1593; Gorny & Mosch 269, 1295 (same dies). 4.39g, 20mm, 6h.

Extremely Fine; areas of flatness. Rare. Second cross added erroneously.

[quant.geek]

Another day and another coin...

 

Byzantine Empire: Anastasius I (491-518) AV Tremissis, Constantinople (Sear 8; DOC 10; MIBE 12)

Obv: DN ANASTASIVS PP AVG; pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM; Victory advancing right, head left, holding wreath and cross on globe, star to right; CONOB in exergue

 

[theotokevoithi]

It is attractive because it survived almost in one piece.

An assarion or a trachy?

The reverse side (someone standing) ?

Waiting to be recognised.

[mcwyler]

On 4/9/2024 at 3:15 AM, ela126 said:

Quite like this thread!

Keeping with the recent theme of excellent strikes, here is one of my best billon scyphate coins. Nice amount of silver content (I’ve read about 7% at this time but I can’t cite that)

IMG_6850.mov 21.07 MB · 0 downloads  

Alexis 1 - 1081-1118

Billon Aspron Trachy

Constantinople

SB 1918

4.68g

Ela126 has the better face of Christ, but I like my example of SB1918 too. It's certainly my most attractive trachy, and it came in the post today!  28mm, 4.1g.

 

[voulgaroktonou]

23 hours ago, I_v_a_n said:

I think approximately the same level of historical importance can be found in connection with empress Irene sole reign and connected to this event rising of Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne. I have a solidus with Irene portrait and all the members of iconoclastic dynasty (also historically significant period). Unfortunately these coins also not at the top of aesthetics.

 

Constantine VI and Irene, with Leo III, Constantine V, and Leo IV AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 787-790. COҺSTIҺOS C' C' b' [...], Constantine V, Leo III, and Leo IV seated facing, each crowned and draped / S IRIҺI AVΓ' MI[TR], crowned facing busts of Constantine IV, draped and holding globus cruciger, and Irene, wearing loros and holding [globus cruciger] and cruciform sceptre; two crosses above, pellet between. Cf. Füeg 2 (C.2.13 (same die as illustration?)/Ir.2); DOC -; Sear 1593; Gorny & Mosch 269, 1295 (same dies). 4.39g, 20mm, 6h.

Extremely Fine; areas of flatness. Rare. Second cross added erroneously.

Very nice! This is a very notable attempt to stress in pictorial form the dynasty established by Leo III.

[JeandAcre]

On 4/9/2024 at 10:42 AM, I_v_a_n said:

I think approximately the same level of historical importance can be found in connection with empress Irene sole reign and connected to this event rising of Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne. I have a solidus with Irene portrait and all the members of iconoclastic dynasty (also historically significant period). Unfortunately these coins also not at the top of aesthetics.

 

Constantine VI and Irene, with Leo III, Constantine V, and Leo IV AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 787-790. COҺSTIҺOS C' C' b' [...], Constantine V, Leo III, and Leo IV seated facing, each crowned and draped / S IRIҺI AVΓ' MI[TR], crowned facing busts of Constantine IV, draped and holding globus cruciger, and Irene, wearing loros and holding [globus cruciger] and cruciform sceptre; two crosses above, pellet between. Cf. Füeg 2 (C.2.13 (same die as illustration?)/Ir.2); DOC -; Sear 1593; Gorny & Mosch 269, 1295 (same dies). 4.39g, 20mm, 6h.

Extremely Fine; areas of flatness. Rare. Second cross added erroneously.

An impressive ensemble, @I_v_a_n, and it definitely has its own charm.  But regarding style (to wallow in the obvious), what else would you expect from a bunch of iconoclasts?

[Simon]

 

Constans II and Sons Follis  SBCV- 1110 9.21gm ( correction 3.8gm) and a Sicily Mint.

 

Interesting coin and gem but out of my field but I bought it because it was nicely struck.  It included a circular tag from? but a Spink & Son Ltd. cut out address was included ; I assume it originally came from them. The address 5-7 King St, St James London so they moved in 2000, so the ticket is 20th century. Also the original price looks like 10 pounds 10 shillings?

 

Edited April 10 by Simon

[ela126]

@Simon nice example, i jsut got one of these in myself of similiar quality. Yours is massive on comparison though at 9.21. Just weighed mine, 4.73g.. The portraits all seem similiar but your flan and die must have been a bit larger

[JeandAcre]

With apologies, @Simon, I'm still not over the provenance.  'By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen /Medallists.'  ...Yikes.  I'm curious about how old the ticket is.

[Simon]

5 minutes ago, ela126 said:

@Simon nice example, i jsut got one of these in myself of similiar quality. Yours is massive on comparison though at 9.21. Just weighed mine, 4.73g.. The portraits all seem similiar but your flan and die must have been a bit larger

Thank you but your right, the last seller wrote that , I weighed it 3.8gm . I will correct that! 

[Simon]

1 minute ago, JeandAcre said:

With apologies, @Simon, I'm still not over the provenance.  'By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen /Medallists.'  ...Yikes.  I'm curious about how old the ticket is.

Sometime After Elizabeth became queen and before the end of shillings because of the price. The company moved in 2000, Elizabeth became queen 1952 until they stopped using shillings, Internet says 1990 but when I went to school in UK in 1970's we did not use shillings. So I am uncertain there. 

[Hrefn]

Decimal Day in the UK was in February 1971.  The last pounds/shillings/pence proof set was struck in 1970 and is still widely available at a very low price, certainly much less than the issue price if adjusted for inflation.  An interesting and very inexpensive bit of history.   Examples on popular auction site for less than $10 plus shipping.  One could buy 100 of them to create a fascinating set of chips for friendly poker games.   “I see your two shillings, and raise you sixpence.”                                   

[ela126]

I’ve shared this one before but I think for a Byzantine coin, with a potential (likely) fake desert patina, it’s still very attractive.

justinian 1 - half follis - Antioch - 8.26g - sb 225
 

[Jims,Coins]

Minted at Syracuse during the reign of Constans II between September 641 - 15 July 668. Obv. No Legend. Constans (on l.), with long beard, and Constantine IV (on r.), beardless, stg. facing, each wearing crown; Constans wears military attire, and holds long cross; his son wears chlamys and holds gl.cr.  Rev. Large M; above, Monogram 35; in ex., SCL; to l., Heraclius, beardless, stg. facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding gl. cr.; to r., similar figure of Tiberius. BCVS #1110

 

[Hrefn]

Suppose I should append a pretty Byzantine coin, and recent acquisition.  Although even on his best day Leontius would be unlikely to win a beauty contest.

2024.20.  Solidus Leontius 695-698 AD.  

OBV. DLEO…PEAV.   Leontius with mappa in right hand, globus cruciger in left, in loros.  

REV:  VICTORIA …AVG  DA(?). Cross on 3 steps.  Bruise in the right field.  

EX:  CONOB

Officina delta followed by an A.   Sear-1331    Old tag, with my comments in parentheses: 

 “LEU (perhaps) 12/66 OYY (probably code for price) T/A 4231 Leontius solidus G. 134/1  NOT in R”.  (Ratto?)

A bit of a double strike but a great portrait and identifiable name which fills a gap in my collection.  

[I_v_a_n]

14 hours ago, JeandAcre said:

But regarding style (to wallow in the obvious), what else would you expect from a bunch of iconoclasts?

🤣🤣🤣💯

At the other end here is an example of Macedonian dynasty Renaissance (in impressive piece with 30 mm diameter):

Constantine IX Monomachus AD 1042-1055. Constantinople
Histamenon Nomisma AV
30 mm, 4,40 g
+ IhS XIS RЄX RЄςNANTIҺm, Christ, nimbate, seated facing on lyre-backed throne, wearing tunic and pallium, raising His right hand in benediction and holding book of Gospels in His left, all within triple border of dots / + CωҺSτA-nτҺ bASILEЧS Rm, bust of Constantine IX facing, wearing loros and crown with pendilia, holding cruciform scepter with tendril-ornament in his right hand and globus surmounted by patriarchal cross in his left, all within triple border of dots.
good very fine
DOC 1a3; Sear 1828.

[Simon]

Another delightful coin. 

[JeandAcre]

@Simon, As a collector, I've never gotten a lot of traction with the earliest Byzantine AEs, with the (semantics alert:) late Roman profiles.  As your example resonantly demonstrates, that's largely been a function of the examples I've (anecdotally) run into.  Now, I'm starting to get it!  You can really appreciate the ongoing transition, with the already distinctive lettering and the nuanced but noticeable variation in the portrait style.  Thanks!  

[JeandAcre]

...Meanwhile, @Simon, when did Justinian's AEs transition from the profiles to the facing portraits?  The shipping on cheaper copies of Sear scared me off (all from the UK), but it would be enlightening to find that out, relative to the reign.  Granted, it was pretty eventful, up to the end.  (Yike, just the war with the Sasanians, and the second major phase of the conquests in Italy and Visigothic Spain.)

[Simon]

16 minutes ago, JeandAcre said:

Meanwhile, @Simon, when did Justinian's AEs transition from the profiles to the facing portraits? 

I do not know. I was wondering that myself. I do have another coin decades later with the emperor looking left. 

Maurice Tiberius ( 582-602 AD.) 10 nummi, I think I bought it for that novelty alone. 

 

 

[JeandAcre]

...Rats, replete with links that were supposed to work (maybe on a less antiquated machine?), I still have trouble navigating the Dumbarton Oaks website.  But more anecdotally, Wildwinds lists at least a couple of folles with facing portraits as early as as 541/2.  Making the profile ones earlier than I, for one, was assuming they were.

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/byz/justinian_I/t.html 

[voulgaroktonou]

3 hours ago, JeandAcre said:

...Meanwhile, @Simon, when did Justinian's AEs transition from the profiles to the facing portraits?  The shipping on cheaper copies of Sear scared me off (all from the UK), but it would be enlightening to find that out, relative to the reign.  Granted, it was pretty eventful, up to the end.  (Yike, just the war with the Sasanians, and the second major phase of the conquests in Italy and Visigothic Spain.)

The switch from profile to frontal portraits on the AES took place with the introduction of the dated issues beginning regnal year 12 (538/9). But it was not across the board for the various denominations, with the fractions from several of the mints continuing to depict Justinian in profile following year 12.

[ela126]

9 hours ago, Simon said:

Another delightful coin. 

This is an astonishingly good example. You see so many of these types and finally think one of the 95% examples are representative of the best for the type, but then you come across a likely “never circulated” example such as this. The facial relief abd overall strike quality is almost FDC, if one could say that for a Byzantine Bronze.

i have two examples of Anastasius SB 19 I’m quite proud of, neither near the quality but still pleasing.

i do wonder for both these examples, do they suffer from long lost stripped patinas which have had a good amount of time to heal, potential smoothing as well?… or are they what I’ve come across with Roman coins as “Tiber patinas” which never had dark formations allowed to cover the coin. Certainly the larger flan example might be a better type of this.

larger module at 18.07g

smaller module at 15.03g

Edited April 15 by ela126