Troyden Posted January 2, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 2, 2023 Justinian's pentanummi from Antioch. Notable as one of the last (if not THE last) coins with unambiguously pagan imagery (Tyche of Antioch) 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 3, 2023 · Supporter Author Share Posted January 3, 2023 1 hour ago, Troyden said: Justinian's pentanummi from Antioch. Notable as one of the last (if not THE last) coins with unambiguously pagan imagery (Tyche of Antioch) I love this type. I have yet to add one to my Byzantine collection but I think it is so cool that while Christianity had become so entrenched in Roman/Byzantine culture, there was still a place out there catering to the pagan gods. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Simon Posted January 3, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted January 3, 2023 No idea what this little piece of metal is or better yet who it is. I bought it cheaply (under $10.00) during a Martini Auction in covid times. Interesting Byzantine art though. It is tiny, under 20mm. Broken off something. It is like a lightbulb with a face. 9 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 3, 2023 · Supporter Author Share Posted January 3, 2023 This was the last coin of 2022 for me. A denomination that I have been looking for for quite awhile in an affordable grade. Finally, on Christmas day, I snagged this guy: Justinian I AE 8 Nummi 527-565 AD Thessalonica Obverse: DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right Reverse: Large H, A to left, dot-cross-dot above, P right 10 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quant.geek Posted January 3, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 3, 2023 A bit lazy today, but here is one that I recently picked up. It is classified as either John V, John VII or Manuel II. I would classify it as Manuel II... 12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTrachyEnjoyer Posted January 3, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 3, 2023 On 6/5/2022 at 5:09 PM, Nerosmyfavorite68 said: and so is the Justinian Ravenna. Impressive to even own one! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quant.geek Posted January 3, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) 17 hours ago, Troyden said: Justinian's pentanummi from Antioch. Notable as one of the last (if not THE last) coins with unambiguously pagan imagery (Tyche of Antioch) For the style, I would classify this one instead: Byzantine Empire: Justin I & Justinian I (527) Æ Pentanummium, Antioch (Sear 133; DOC 17; MIBE 13) Obv: +D N D N IVSTINVS ЄT IVSTINIANVS P P A; Diademed, draped, and cuirassed busts of Justin and Justinian facing Rev: Tyche of Antioch seated left, head facing; river-god Orontes swimming to right below; Э to left; all within distyle shrine However, as for the last coin, I beg to differ. I think once Victory was removed from minting, it was the mark of the end of the "pagan"-based themes (I hate that word as a so-called active religion today, will become "pagan" tomorrow after it falls out of use) and that wasn't done until Heraclius... Edited January 3, 2023 by quant.geek 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troyden Posted January 4, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, quant.geek said: For the style, I would classify this one instead: Byzantine Empire: Justin I & Justinian I (527) Æ Pentanummium, Antioch (Sear 133; DOC 17; MIBE 13) Obv: +D N D N IVSTINVS ЄT IVSTINIANVS P P A; Diademed, draped, and cuirassed busts of Justin and Justinian facing Rev: Tyche of Antioch seated left, head facing; river-god Orontes swimming to right below; Э to left; all within distyle shrine However, as for the last coin, I beg to differ. I think once Victory was removed from minting, it was the mark of the end of the "pagan"-based themes (I hate that word as a so-called active religion today, will become "pagan" tomorrow after it falls out of use) and that wasn't done until Heraclius... "Victory" is described sometimes as angel on coinage of later emperors, especially since the figure was thoroughly Christianized in its imagery by the addition of crosses. At best, Victory was conflated with a Christian angel. I intentionally used the phrase "unambiguously pagan" when describing the coin with Tyche. Edited January 4, 2023 by Troyden 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Simon Posted January 4, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted January 4, 2023 Old traditions always seem to circle back. Granted this in from the 12th century and Islamic but this large Nike was being used. ISLAMIC. Anatolia & al-Jazira (Post-Seljuk). Artuqids (Kayfa & Amid). Fakhr al-Din Qara Arslan (AH 543-570 / AD 1148-1174). Ae Dirham. Weight: 10.81 g. Diameter: 32 mm. 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 4, 2023 · Supporter Author Share Posted January 4, 2023 9 hours ago, Simon said: Old traditions always seem to circle back. Granted this in from the 12th century and Islamic but this large Nike was being used. ISLAMIC. Anatolia & al-Jazira (Post-Seljuk). Artuqids (Kayfa & Amid). Fakhr al-Din Qara Arslan (AH 543-570 / AD 1148-1174). Ae Dirham. Weight: 10.81 g. Diameter: 32 mm. Thanks for showing this. Now I have something ELSE to look for haha. That is so cool! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zimm Posted January 4, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) Here's quite a fun assarion I bought right around the turn of the year. The obverse(?) with the long legend isn't the greatest, but what really caught my attention was the fact that the emperors' faces still had a fair amount of details left, which you don't see on assaria that often. Andronicus II & Michael IX (1282-1328 AD) - Constantinople - Assarion - Sear 2440 Obverse: ΑVΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΠΡΕϹ ΡΟΜΑΙωΝ, in four lines Reverse: Andronicus on the left, Michael IX on the right, each holding cruciform sceptre, holding long labarum between each other Edit: Here's a further picture that highlights the details a bit more Edited January 4, 2023 by Zimm 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTrachyEnjoyer Posted January 4, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 4, 2023 Great example @Zimm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severus Alexander Posted January 4, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted January 4, 2023 Here are, I think, the two most beautiful Byzantine AEs that I acquired last year: ^This is an Antioch mint Phocas half follis. The Antioch portraits of Phocas are pretty great as a rule, with some really exceptional ones on the full folles (@voulgaroktonou has an amazing example). I'm happy to have landed this half follis example... besides having a portrait in good style, the half folles seem to be awfully scarce! I look forward to cleaning this year 12 Constantinople of Justinian: The patina under the crud is pretty robust so I think it will turn out well after a mechanical cleaning. I had been wanting one from the first year of the reform, and got this for a very reasonable hammer. 8 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voulgaroktonou Posted January 5, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 5, 2023 3 hours ago, Severus Alexander said: Here are, I think, the two most beautiful Byzantine AEs that I acquired last year: ^This is an Antioch mint Phocas half follis. The Antioch portraits of Phocas are pretty great as a rule, with some really exceptional ones on the full folles (@voulgaroktonou has an amazing example). I'm happy to have landed this half follis example... besides having a portrait in good style, the half folles seem to be awfully scarce! I look forward to cleaning this year 12 Constantinople of Justinian: The patina under the crud is pretty robust so I think it will turn out well after a mechanical cleaning. I had been wanting one from the first year of the reform, and got this for a very reasonable hammer. Beautiful ones! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewomack Posted January 5, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted January 5, 2023 I apparently completely missed this thread earlier. When it started and initially ended, I had no Byzantine coins whatsoever. Since then I've acquired seven. I know I've shared them all a few times already, but I'd like to put a few in this thread in any case. As for the aesthetics and "beauty" of Byzantine coins, Sayles in Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture says that many once considered their style crude and sloppy, but then numismatic research revealed that the coins actually depict "spiritual abstractions" with apparently no intention of ever displaying realistic portraiture as that on ancient Greek or Roman coins. I haven't looked into this claim further, but it might help understand why the coins look as they do and make them harder to dismiss on purely technical grounds. I was drawn to their supposed "crudity" immediately as a midpoint somewhere between Roman and medieval coinage. To me, they represent a truly human dimension just as much as they may portray any spiritual interpretation of the world. Justinian I Follis (540/1 - Year 14), Constantinople mint, Obv: DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing holding cross on globe and shield; cross to right. Rev: Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, XIIII (date) to right, A below, CON in exergue, Sear 163 Phocas (602-610), Æ Follis (33mm, 11.79g), Cyzicus, Dated RY 4 ? (605/6); Obv: δN POCAS+PERPAVG, Crowned bust facing, wearing consular robes and holding mappa and cross, small cross to left; Rev: Large XXXX, ANNO above, II/II (date) to right, KYZA, Sear 665 Leo V AD 813-820, Æ Follis (23mm, 4.43 grams) Constantinopolis; LEON S CONST; facing busts of Leo (l.) and Constantine (r.); Large M between XXX and NNN; cross above and A below; Sear 1630 Leo VI (AD 886-912); Constantinople; Æ Follis; Obv: +LEOn bAS - ILEVS ROM' Bust facing wearing crown and chlamys, holding akakia in l. hand; Rev: Inscription in four lines: +LEOn / Eh ΘEO bA / SILEVS R / OmEOh; 7.67g.; Berk 918, Sear 1729 10 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 5, 2023 · Supporter Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 I'm glad that this thread has been resurrected. Byzantine coinage doesn't get the respect it deserves IMO. I have a few more that are waiting in the wings that need to be photographed and put in my database. They aren't as nice as some of the most recent examples (looking at you @Severus Alexander and @ewomack) but I think they are great none-the-less. Bring on more Byzantines! 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Simon Posted January 5, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted January 5, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, ewomack said: As for the aesthetics and "beauty" of Byzantine coins, Sayles in Ancient Coin Collecting V: The Romaion/Byzantine Culture says that many once considered their style crude and sloppy, but then numismatic research revealed that the coins actually depict "spiritual abstractions" with apparently no intention of ever displaying realistic portraiture as that on ancient Greek or Roman coins I took this from a Xmas post I did this year. It was regarding a necklace my wife had commissioned to have made for me. me, I put it in the general section, I should have put it here. "I work and sell art for a living, and it has made me very attracted to the late style of Byzantine Art, In the last few years I became attracted to the philosophy of Spiritualism. Byzantine coinage with its many abstract portraits are created under this philosophy, its Apex of the artform was during the Palaiologan period (1259-1453)" " The essence of Spiritualism is that all physical things hinder the Cosmic connection." Another way to look at it is all beauty is from within. so all beauty is the ultimate simplicity, the Eastern Romans perfected the art, Abstraction is beauty and a channel to the soul. The original teachings of Spiritualism are not Christian, the earliest writings date to Plotinus around 250 AD. The basic philosophies of his teachings have been added to many faiths, Judaism, Christianity, Gnostic and Islam. For more on Spiritualism on coinage I recommend these works, the second from Christopher T Connell, he diagramed the ultimate portrait of Christ in a Spiritualist nature. He broke the portraits of Christ to 3 circles, 2 semicircles and 30 lines. (He assisted me when I first started collecting Byzantine coinage, I think of him fondly now.) " Vol 03 No. 11 November 1989 - The Celator - VCoins Community Vol 05 No. 12 December 1991 - The Celator - VCoins Community And here is a different coin, same denomination but of John VIII. It was said this was the peak of the movement in art. Simple and beautiful. Edited January 5, 2023 by Simon 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quant.geek Posted January 5, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 5, 2023 This just came in today after a bit of a delay due to several snowstorms in Minnesota. While the condition isn't that great, its a nice filler for a very expensive follis: Byzantine Empire: Irene (797-802) Æ Follis, Constantinople (Sear 1600; DOC 2) Obv: Crowned facing bust, holding globus cruciger and scepter Rev: Large M; cross above, X/X/X to left, N/N/N to right, A below 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edessa Posted January 5, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted January 5, 2023 Here's my ugly Byzantine. Although come to think of it, it may be the "highest relief" coin that I have! Latin Emperors of Constantinople, AD 1204-1261. Æ (20x22mm, 1.19g, 6h) Small Module, Constantinople mint. Obv: MP-OV; The Virgin nibate, wearing tunic and maphorion, seated upon throne with back; holds beardless, nimbate head of Christ on breast. Rev: Full-length figure of emperor, wearing stemma, divitision and chlamys; holds in right hand labarun on long shft and anexikakia in left. Ref: SB 2044; Doc IV.-Pl. LII-B30.2. Good Fine, nice patina, small striking area. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edessa Posted January 5, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted January 5, 2023 The Byzantine imagery carried North. Denmark. Sven Estridsen, AD 1047-1075. AR Penny, Lund mint. Obv: Two standing figures holding banner. Rev: Long cross dividing legend, crescents in second and third quarter. Ref: Bruun 1683. Very Fine and scarce. Ex Spink/Glendining auction, 27 November 1974, lot 124. Ex-Baldwin's Auction 62-63, 29 Sept 2009, Lot 604. 9 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted January 5, 2023 · Supporter Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 5 hours ago, quant.geek said: This just came in today after a bit of a delay due to several snowstorms in Minnesota. While the condition isn't that great, its a nice filler for a very expensive follis: Byzantine Empire: Irene (797-802) Æ Follis, Constantinople (Sear 1600; DOC 2) Obv: Crowned facing bust, holding globus cruciger and scepter Rev: Large M; cross above, X/X/X to left, N/N/N to right, A below That's not shabby at all! I managed to pick up a follis of Irene and Constantine VI for very cheap a couple of years ago. Not in the best condition but I couldn't say no to the price. I would love to have one featuring just her though. Perhaps some day. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Simon Posted January 5, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted January 5, 2023 To keep it going, one of my best of Byzantine coins. Not my focus but when I see something really nice, I put it in the collection. This is such an example. Constans II and 3 sons. 9.21gm Sicily mint. An attractive coin. 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zimm Posted January 31, 2023 · Member Share Posted January 31, 2023 Here’s quite an odd discovery I made while looking through my collection today; one the folles of Anastasius I own seems to feature a bearded(!) bust. Now admittedly early Byzantine coins aren’t my expertise, but I can’t remember seeing a bearded bust of his before. Does anyone here happen to know anything about this strange bust type? I wasn’t able to find any information on it online, so all information is greatly appreciated. For context the type is an early small module type with a wreath on the reverse. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severus Alexander Posted January 31, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted January 31, 2023 25 minutes ago, Zimm said: Here’s quite an odd discovery I made while looking through my collection today; one the folles of Anastasius I own seems to feature a bearded(!) bust. Now admittedly early Byzantine coins aren’t my expertise, but I can’t remember seeing a bearded bust of his before. Does anyone here happen to know anything about this strange bust type? I wasn’t able to find any information on it online, so all information is greatly appreciated. For context the type is an early small module type with a wreath on the reverse. That's pretty wild, @Zimm! My guess: it's an artifact of the engraving process, i.e. those dots were used to outline the space meant to be engraved, and would normally be filled in. For some reason they weren't on this die. Another possibility, I suppose, is that it's an overstrike and the dots are remnants of the undertype. But it doesn't look like that to me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voulgaroktonou Posted February 1, 2023 · Member Share Posted February 1, 2023 4 hours ago, Severus Alexander said: That's pretty wild, @Zimm! My guess: it's an artifact of the engraving process, i.e. those dots were used to outline the space meant to be engraved, and would normally be filled in. For some reason they weren't on this die. Another possibility, I suppose, is that it's an overstrike and the dots are remnants of the undertype. But it doesn't look like that to me. Here's another Anastasius with bearded bust. It is Sear 22. 7 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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