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1 Follaro - Ruggero II St. Nicholas
| Issuer | Sicily, Kingdom of |
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| Year | 1130-1154 |
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| Currency | Tari (1060-1754) |
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| Obverse description | Frontal half-length effigy of Saint Nicholas, nimbate, depicted in the Byzantine iconographic tradition with a bearded visage and episcopal vestments rendered in low relief. The saint is shown facing the viewer directly, with the nimbus encircling the head in a characteristic Italo-Byzantine style. A Greek abbreviated legend flanks the figure on either side of the field, identifying the saint by name. The flan is irregular and the strike somewhat weak, as is typical of hammered Norman-Sicilian follari of this period. The overall design reflects the strong Byzantine artistic influence prevalent at the court of Roger II. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a four-line Greek inscription filling the entire field, with no border or decorative elements other than the lettering itself. The text is arranged horizontally across the flan in the manner typical of Norman-Sicilian coinage issued for the Messina mint, referencing the city of Messina. The characters are boldly incuse in the hammered die, though uneven flan preparation results in variable strike depth across the legends. This type of purely epigraphic reverse, inspired by Byzantine and Arab numismatic traditions, is a hallmark of Roger II's follari. The inscription reads as a dedicatory or locational reference to the city of Messina. |
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| Mintage | ND (1130-1154) |
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