The Coins during the Twenty-Years Anarchy

[quant.geek]

In response to @ewomack previous posts, I thought we can centralize this period into a single thread. During this period, the Byzantine Empire saw the rise and fall of multiple emperors between the disposition of Justinian II to the rise of the Isaurian Dynasty with Leo III. So go ahead and post your coins. The coinage isn't the greatest due to the numerous re-strikes and crappy flans. Since we already have threads for Leontius and Tiberius III, I am going to start with Philippicus Bardanes:

 

Byzantine Empire: Philippicus Bardanes (711-713) Æ Follis, Constantinople (Sear-1455; MIB-21; DOC-9)

Obv: Crowned bust facing, wearing loros, holding globus cruciger and eagle-tipped scepter
Rev: Large M; cross above, date across field; Γ / CON

 

Byzantine Empire: Philippicus Bardanes (711-713) Æ Decanummium, Constantinople, RY 1 (Sear 1457; DOC 13; MIB 23)

Obv: Crowned facing bust, wearing loros, holding eagle-tipped scepter
Rev: Large I; cross to left, I/Γ to right; CON in exergue
Dim: 17mm, 2.11 g, 6h

Edited May 14 by quant.geek

[sand]

@quant.geek Interesting, rare Philippicus coins.

The Twenty Years Anarchy was an interesting time in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Here's a list of the Byzantine Emperors, during the Twenty Years Anarchy, from Wikipedia.

695 AD To 698 AD   Leontius
698 AD To 705 AD   Tiberius III
705 AD To 711 AD   Justinian II (2nd reign)
711 AD To 713 AD   Philippicus
713 AD To 715 AD   Anastasius II
715 AD To 717 AD   Theodosius III

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_Years'_Anarchy 

It's interesting, how many of the Byzantine Emperors during this time, had either a "II" or a "III" after their name. And, all 4 such Emperors (Tiberius III, Justinian II, Anastasius II, and Theodosius III), were the last Emperors with their names. There was no Tiberius IV, or Justinian III, or Anastasius III, or Theodosius IV. Also, after the Twenty Years Anarchy, all of the Byzantine Emperors had new names, except for the Leos (Leo III, Leo IV, Leo V, and Leo VI) and the Constantines (Constantine V, Constantine VI, Constantine VII, Constantine VIII, Constantine IX, Constantine X, and Constantine XI). Perhaps the Byzantines had forgotten some of their own history. Or, perhaps it was because of the changes of the Byzantine Empire over time. I don't know.

Also, there was no Leontius II, or Philippicus II. Therefore, none of the names, of any of the Byzantine Emperors from the Twenty Years Anarchy, were ever repeated. Perhaps, no future Byzantine Emperor wanted to have the same name as any of these short reign (unless you include Justinian II's 1st reign) Emperors, and then the names were eventually forgotten by the Byzantines. I don't know.

Here's my only coin from the Twenty Years Anarchy. A Tiberius III 40 nummi bronze coin. It has the typical, decadent Byzantine style, of this time period.

Tiberius III. AE 40 Nummi Follis. Minted 698 AD To 705 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1395. DO 32. Maximum Diameter 22.2 mm. Weight 3.20 grams. Obverse : Tiberius III Bust Facing Front, Wearing A Crown Which Has A Cross On Top, Holding Spear In Front Of Body, Shield In Left Hand. Reverse : Large M, Monogram Above, "SCL" Mint Below. Overstrike.

Edited May 15 by sand

[MrMonkeySwag96]

It’s ironic that some of the most beautiful & artistic gold Solidii were minted during the Hercaclian dynasty & 20 Years Anarchy, which were chaotic periods in the Empire’s history. 

Edited May 15 by MrMonkeySwag96

[ela126]

I have a few coins from this period which I’ve shared recently. None from the post J2 2nd reign though.

unsure if I shared this one before. The reason why quickly becomes apparent, she’s ugly, even for the type. Whats cool though is the inclusion of his son Tiberius on the coin, who apparently was killed along side him in 711.

Justinian 2 (2nd reign)

Follis

constantinople

sb 1428

2.78g

[quant.geek]

I tried and tried to get a nice looking SB1428, but I always seem to either get overbid or loose focus. The first one was found in a lot purchase, whereas the second one was a compromise on the past few bidding losses.. 

Byzantine Empire: Justinian II, 2nd Reign (705-711) Æ Follis, Constantinople (Sear 1428)

Obv: D N IЧSTINIANЧS ЄT TIЬЄRIЧS P; Crowned facing busts of Justinian and Tiberius, each wearing chlamys and holding patriarchal cross between
Rev: Large M; A/N/N/O - X/X across field; cross above, Γ below; CON in exergue
 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 16 by quant.geek

[TheTrachyEnjoyer]

This is no longer mine but its a great coin so Ill share it anyways. Theodosius III tremissis from Ravenna

[sand]

34 minutes ago, TheTrachyEnjoyer said:

This is no longer mine but its a great coin so Ill share it anyways. Theodosius III tremissis from Ravenna

That's an amazing rarity. Did you sell it? Did you auction it? Did you trade it? Did you get a good price (or coin(s)) for it?

Edited May 16 by sand

[TheTrachyEnjoyer]

1 hour ago, sand said:

That's an amazing rarity. Did you sell it? Did you auction it? Did you trade it? Did you get a good price (or coin(s)) for it?

I ended up consigning it and am happy with the hammer. As interesting as the coin is, it didn’t really fit into my collection

[quant.geek]

While it is not the crazy tremissis that @TheTrachyEnjoyer posted, here is my follis and half follis:

 

Byzantine Empire: Theodosius III of Adramytium (715-717) Æ Follis, Constantinople, RY 1 (Sear 1492; DOC 5; MIB 13)

Obv: Crowned facing bust, wearing loros, holding patriarchal globus cruciger and akakia; cross to right
Rev: Large M, cross above; A/N/N/O - I (date) across field; B below; CON in exergue
Dim: 24mm, 5.43 g, 6h

 

Byzantine Empire: Theodosius III of Adramytium (715-717) Æ Half Follis, Constantinople, RY 1 (Sear 1493; DOC 6; MIB 14)

Obv: Crowned facing bust, wearing loros, holding patriarchal globus cruciger and akakia
Rev: Large K, cross above; A/N/N/O - I (date) across field; A below
Dim: 15.5mm, 1.86 g, 6h

Edited May 16 by quant.geek

[ewomack]

It sounds like some people consider the events that brought about the overthrow of Justinian II by Leontius as part of the "anarchy." It probably depends on who you ask, and it's probably something people could debate interminably. In any case, because I just started down this path and only have a first reign Justinian II, I'll just count it for my own selfish purposes. 😄 After collecting Byzantines for not even two years, I only recently came across the era of "the anarchy" and was instantly fascinated. The three coins below were added to my pile only over the past few months and I've delved no further into that period. Given the potential prices that I may encounter after the second reign of Justinian II, I'm not sure how much further I'll go (I have my limits on how much I'll spend on a coin - The Leontius below was right on the cusp). I've also shared these three coins here relatively recently, but since a thread about "the anarchy" opened up, and since we generally need more Byzantines on this forum, I thought I would include them here as well. There have been a lot of fascinating things posted here so far!

Justinian II (685 - 695), first reign, Æ Follis, Syracuse, Obv: Justinian II standing facing holding spear and globus cruciger, branch to right; Rev: Large M, monogram (Sear #38) above, C/VP/A to left, K/OV/CI to right, SCL in exergue; 25.34mm, 5.44g; Sear 1301

Leontius (695 - 698), Æ Follis, Constantinople, Obv: Legend obscure, bearded bust of emperor facing, wearing crown and loros, and holding globus cruciger, small cross in right field; Rev: large M, ANNO on left, probably year 1, officinal Δ; 23-24mm, 4.01g, MIB 32 var., Sear 1334 var.


Tiberius III Apsimar (698-705, struck 698-702), Æ Follis, Syracuse, Obv: no legend, crowned and cuirassed facing bust, holding spear and shield; star to left; Rev: Large M, monogram above (Sear Monogram #42), palm fronds flanking, SCL in exergue; 15-19mm, 2.4g; DOC 32, MIB 79, Anastasi 337, Sear 1395

[voulgaroktonou]

Great coins, here, friends! As @MrMonkeySwag96 has noted, the continued high quality of the gold of this period contrasts strikingly with the unfortunate bronze issues, and silver has for all practical purposes ceased to be issued, save for rare ceremonial issues. Here are a few of my examples from the “Period of Anarchy”.

First Photo, top row, from left to right, then second row: Leontius, Tiberius III, Justinian II (2^nd reign).   695 – 711

 

 

 

Leontios, 695–98. Follis, Constantinople, 695/6. 7.65 gr. 28.1 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1334; Hahn 32. Ex Protonotarios Collection.

Tiberius III, 698–705. Follis, Constantinople, 698/9. 7.51 gr. 29.7 mm. 7 hr. Sear 1366; Hahn 73; DO 8c. Overstruck on a follis of Leontios, which in turn had been overstruck on an earlier coin. Visible on the obverse on the left are ANNO and below, CON of the Leontios reverse, and on the reverse, the loros and globus cruciger of Leontios can be seen to the left of the mark of value, and above it, the remains of ANNO of the original coin.

Justinian II (2^nd reign), 705-711. Follis, Constantinople, 705. 8.08 gr. 30.2 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1426; Hahn 42a; DO 11a. Dated year 20, Justinian not considering his 10 years in exile as breaking the continuity of his reign from 685.

 

 

 

Second Photo, top row, then second row, left to right: Philippikos,  Anastasios II, Theodosios III (711-717)

Philippikos, 711-13. Follis, Constantinople, 711/12. 2.99 gr. 22.2 mm. 7 hr. Sear 1455; Hahn 21; DO 9a.  Overstruck on a follis of Justinian II (Sear 1428). When the reverse is turned 90 degrees to the right, one can see the portrait of Justinian as well as much of inscription of the host coin. The portrait of Justinian’s son Tiberios, however, has been obliterated by the overstriking.

Anastasios II, 713-15. Silver Half Siliqua, Rome, 713-715. 0.21 gr. 8.4 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1482A (this coin); Hahn et al. unlisted. O’Hara, “A find of Byzantine silver from the mint of Rome for the period A. D. 641-752”, (Revue Suisse de Numismatique, v. 64 (1985), pp. 105-40, #26 (this coin). The reverse features a monogram for ROMA. This coin is not to scale with the others. At 8 mm., it’s tiny!

Theodosios III, 715–17. Silver Hexagram, Constantinople, 715-717. 2.27 gr. 19 mm. 4 hr. Sear 1491; Hahn 12.

 

Third Photo: Leo III and Constantine V, 717-741. What a difference a mint makes!

Solidus, Constantinople, 720. 4.44 gr. 20.9 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1504; DO 3 var.; Füeg 3K (this coin) = Berk 216 (this coin)

Tremissis (electrum), Rome, 721-41. 1.40 gr. 16.4 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1534; DO 87

 

Fourth Photo: OK, one more episode of anarchy.

Artavasdos with Nikephoros, 742-743? (or Leo III with Constantine V?)

Follis, Constantinople.  2.61 gr. 20.8 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1515; DO 36 (both as Leo and Constantine). Ex Protonotarios collection. Both rulers hold together a patriarchal cross. The senior, on the left wears a chlamys, while the junior, a loros.

Half Follis, Constantinople.  1.20 gr. 17.6 mm. 6hr. Sear 1519; DO (37b) = Agora 1829b. (both as Leo and Constantine). As before.

Most scholars place these 2 rare coins in the joint reign of Leo and his son Constantine. However, Henri Pottier, in his article “Restitution d’un follis a Artavasde, l’usurpateur usurpe (Constantinople 742/3)”, in Bulletin du Cercle d'Etudes Numismatiques, 26, 1 (1989) suggests on the basis of overstrikes, that they actually belong to the usurper Artavasdos. I hope he is right, for otherwise I will never have a portrait of Artavasdos  in my modest collection….

…and will have to be content with my worn and scratched miliaresion.

Miliaresion, 742-3. 1.73 gr. 20.9 mm. 11 hr. Sear 1745; DO 6; BNP 1. Ex Henri Pottier collection.

[ela126]

2 hours ago, voulgaroktonou said:

Great coins, here, friends! As @MrMonkeySwag96 has noted, the continued high quality of the gold of this period contrasts strikingly with the unfortunate bronze issues, and silver has for all practical purposes ceased to be issued, save for rare ceremonial issues. Here are a few of my examples from the “Period of Anarchy”.

 

First Photo, top row, from left to right, then second row: Leontius, Tiberius III, Justinian II (2^nd reign).   695 – 711

 

 

 

 

 

Leontios, 695–98. Follis, Constantinople, 695/6. 7.65 gr. 28.1 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1334; Hahn 32. Ex Protonotarios Collection.

 

Tiberius III, 698–705. Follis, Constantinople, 698/9. 7.51 gr. 29.7 mm. 7 hr. Sear 1366; Hahn 73; DO 8c. Overstruck on a follis of Leontios, which in turn had been overstruck on an earlier coin. Visible on the obverse on the left are ANNO and below, CON of the Leontios reverse, and on the reverse, the loros and globus cruciger of Leontios can be seen to the left of the mark of value, and above it, the remains of ANNO of the original coin.

 

Justinian II (2^nd reign), 705-711. Follis, Constantinople, 705. 8.08 gr. 30.2 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1426; Hahn 42a; DO 11a. Dated year 20, Justinian not considering his 10 years in exile as breaking the continuity of his reign from 685.

 

 

 

 

 

Second Photo, top row, then second row, left to right: Philippikos,  Anastasios II, Theodosios III (711-717)

 

Philippikos, 711-13. Follis, Constantinople, 711/12. 2.99 gr. 22.2 mm. 7 hr. Sear 1455; Hahn 21; DO 9a.  Overstruck on a follis of Justinian II (Sear 1428). When the reverse is turned 90 degrees to the right, one can see the portrait of Justinian as well as much of inscription of the host coin. The portrait of Justinian’s son Tiberios, however, has been obliterated by the overstriking.

 

Anastasios II, 713-15. Silver Half Siliqua, Rome, 713-715. 0.21 gr. 8.4 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1482A (this coin); Hahn et al. unlisted. O’Hara, “A find of Byzantine silver from the mint of Rome for the period A. D. 641-752”, (Revue Suisse de Numismatique, v. 64 (1985), pp. 105-40, #26 (this coin). The reverse features a monogram for ROMA. This coin is not to scale with the others. At 8 mm., it’s tiny!

 

Theodosios III, 715–17. Silver Hexagram, Constantinople, 715-717. 2.27 gr. 19 mm. 4 hr. Sear 1491; Hahn 12.

 

 

Third Photo: Leo III and Constantine V, 717-741. What a difference a mint makes!

 

Solidus, Constantinople, 720. 4.44 gr. 20.9 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1504; DO 3 var.; Füeg 3K (this coin) = Berk 216 (this coin)

 

Tremissis (electrum), Rome, 721-41. 1.40 gr. 16.4 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1534; DO 87

 

 

 

Fourth Photo: OK, one more episode of anarchy.

 

Artavasdos with Nikephoros, 742-743? (or Leo III with Constantine V?)

 

Follis, Constantinople.  2.61 gr. 20.8 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1515; DO 36 (both as Leo and Constantine). Ex Protonotarios collection. Both rulers hold together a patriarchal cross. The senior, on the left wears a chlamys, while the junior, a loros.

 

Half Follis, Constantinople.  1.20 gr. 17.6 mm. 6hr. Sear 1519; DO (37b) = Agora 1829b. (both as Leo and Constantine). As before.

 

Most scholars place these 2 rare coins in the joint reign of Leo and his son Constantine. However, Henri Pottier, in his article “Restitution d’un follis a Artavasde, l’usurpateur usurpe (Constantinople 742/3)”, in Bulletin du Cercle d'Etudes Numismatiques, 26, 1 (1989) suggests on the basis of overstrikes, that they actually belong to the usurper Artavasdos. I hope he is right, for otherwise I will never have a portrait of Artavasdos  in my modest collection….

 

…and will have to be content with my worn and scratched miliaresion.

 

Miliaresion, 742-3. 1.73 gr. 20.9 mm. 11 hr. Sear 1745; DO 6; BNP 1. Ex Henri Pottier collection.

 

 

WOW, this is an incredible assembly, especially the Artavados!

[voulgaroktonou]

14 minutes ago, ela126 said:

WOW, this is an incredible assembly, especially the Artavados!

Thank you!

[rasiel]

Got nothin' to share here except my jealousy at all y'all's coins 😅

I'll share that I have the opening bid for the Artavasdus solidus currently enticing attention on CNG's next auction. I bought a vial of voodoo dust and a rabbit foot off Amazon in the hopes that a little black magic can sway others to look away and bid on something else but, you know, it's not exactly a realistic strategy lol.

At least someday I can tell my nonexistent grandchildren about that one time I was in the running for a major Byzantine rarity!

Rasiel

[Zimm]

I do not have many coins from the Twenty Years' Anarchy. I've only recently gained interest in the period, as previously I had mainly focused on late Byzantine coinage. Additionally, I am limited in the budget I can dedicate to coin collecting, which means many of the scarcer emperors are simply out of reach for me. Here are some coins from the period I own, however I have already shared the majority of them recently here on the forums.

 

Leontius: Sear 1334, Follis, Constantinople

 

Tiberius III: Sear 1366, Follis, Constantinople

 

Justinian II (Second Reign): Follis, Constantinople, Unlisted (Note the "R" before the officina letter. On Sear 1426 there is none, and on Sear 1427 it is an inverse R. This type is paralleled by the half follis MIB 44c)

 

Leo III: Sear 1513a, Follis, Constantinople (Overstruck on Sear 1492, Theodosius III)

This should make the overstrike easier to see.

[ela126]

Wow @Zimm, that’s a pretty good collection for not really focusing on the period, very cool.

I’m particularly interested in your Justinian ii, never heard of one of those with the R facing the right direction. I do have a 1427 I’m pretty happy with, which I thought was rare, but now I find you have the actual rare piece!

I like mine because it has a pleasant portrait for the period, and relatively big at 5.3g.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Justinian II; Second Reign, 705-711 AD. Ravenna, Year 21=705/6 AD, Follis, 2.84g. Berk-817, MIB-54, DO-23, Sear-1445. Obv: Legend mostly off flan, Facing bust of emperor with short beard, wearing crown and loros, and holding [cross potent] (off flan) and cross on globe. Rx: Large M between A/N/N/O and X/X/[I], cross above, RAV in exergue.   Ex: HJB.

[ela126]

15 hours ago, rasiel said:

Got nothin' to share here except my jealousy at all y'all's coins 😅

I'll share that I have the opening bid for the Artavasdus solidus currently enticing attention on CNG's next auction. I bought a vial of voodoo dust and a rabbit foot off Amazon in the hopes that a little black magic can sway others to look away and bid on something else but, you know, it's not exactly a realistic strategy lol.

At least someday I can tell my nonexistent grandchildren about that one time I was in the running for a major Byzantine rarity!

Rasiel

i was just talking with the individual who is the current high bidder on that coin. He went on to share other coins hes bidding on.. all i can say is never get into a bidding war with him, he sounds very determined to win certain coins!

[rasiel]

7 hours ago, ela126 said:

i was just talking with the individual who is the current high bidder on that coin. He went on to share other coins hes bidding on.. all i can say is never get into a bidding war with him, he sounds very determined to win certain coins!

I'm still the high bidder. Maybe he mistakenly bid on the lot next over (not that you should be bringing it to his attention, k?) C'mon man, let me live the moment 😄

[ela126]

@rasiel oh I have no allegiance here, and it does seem you’re winning! (It did seem odd how he randomly offered up the information out of the blue) Best of luck on it!