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JUSTINIAN I, AE Follis, 527-565 AD. 30mm./dia. SB160. About VF. |
| HERACLIUS, AE Follis, 610-641 AD. 25x27mm/dia. SB839. KYZ. aVF |  |
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LEO VI, AE Follis, 886-912 AD, 25mm/dia. SB1729. VF |
The Byzantine - more correctly, the Romaioi - approach to coinage was a combination of the Greek emphasis on form (to them even an M, if proportioned correctly and aesthetically detailed, was a thing of beauty); the Roman concern for mathematical orderliness; and the oriental interest in the mystical. The oriental flavor included an emphasis on the power inherent in symbols, especially visible in the use of globus cruciger, mappa, akakia, long P headed cross, etc. In fact, the coins themselves were used in magical ways, since the powers of the universe (God) were connected to the symbols on them. Our modern Western world can hardly comprehend such superstitious use.
Sizes of the earliest bronzes were similar to those which had been the staple of the Roman monetary system for over 500 years. Thus the old sestertius size was replaced by the new 40 nummi size; the old dupondius by the new 30N size; the old "as" denomination by the new 20N size, etc. However, size alone was no longer the only clue to the denomination. Now a prominent letter clearly proclaimed the exact value of each coin.
While the Romaioi used the Greek designation for their coin values, they continued to use the Roman designation for their reckoning of the years in a ruler's reign. Thus the denomination "M" (40N), for example, will be found with Roman numbers to the right of the "M", as XIII for the year 13; which informs us that the coin was issued in the 13th year of the reign of the ruler named on the obverse of the coin. The normal Romaioi bronze is crudely struck using a simple design. It is often off center with some of the design missing from the flan. Usually the hand struck design is sharper on one edge than on the other. Sometimes the die is crudely made. Flans are also often overstruck by one or more succeeding rulers, causing at times a very garbled appearance. Some collectors like to identify the rulers who, one after the other, reused old flans instead of producing new ones. Two stampings on a flan are common, especially for Heraclius; while rarely three or even four rulers may have successively used a single flan. It is a challenge to some to identify the rulers whose undertypes are partially visible on some overstrikes ...
(Note: The above information is taken - with permission - from "Speedy Identification of Early Denominationally Marked Byzantine Bronzes - from Anastasius I (491-518 AD) to Basil I (867 -886 AD), written by Rev. Dan Clark.
His spiral-bound paperback can be obtained from Dan by writing him at 22220 McCarthy Drive, Tehachapi, CA
93561 - or telephone him at 805/822-3381.)
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