Nomos AG
Auction 17 26 Oct 2018
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Period of Anastasius I - Justinian I, circa 498-565. Pentanummium (Billon, 12 mm, 1.87 g, 3 h), Constantinople?. Diademed and draped bust of emperor to right; in field to right, cross; around, border of large pellets. Rev. Large cursive E with cross to right; all within border of large pellets. DOC -. MIB -. Sb-, apparently unpublished. Extremely rare. Attractively toned and struck in high relief. Slightly rough surfaces, otherwise, extremely fine.
An extraordinary and inexplicable coin! In fact, precisely what this coin actually is is rather a mystery. The coin seems to be billon rather than bronze, which makes it exceptional in every way: after all, the denomination marked on it indicates that it is a 5 nummia piece – but that has nothing to do with silver. The obverse type of a small bust, and especially the large pellets that form its border, has affinities with a variety of Byzantine mints in the 6th century, but is exactly paralleled nowhere! The one certainty we have is that it is clearly genuine and must have been made in early Byzantine times.
An extraordinary and inexplicable coin! In fact, precisely what this coin actually is is rather a mystery. The coin seems to be billon rather than bronze, which makes it exceptional in every way: after all, the denomination marked on it indicates that it is a 5 nummia piece – but that has nothing to do with silver. The obverse type of a small bust, and especially the large pellets that form its border, has affinities with a variety of Byzantine mints in the 6th century, but is exactly paralleled nowhere! The one certainty we have is that it is clearly genuine and must have been made in early Byzantine times.