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20 Nummi - Justinian I Carthage, Bust Right
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 527-565 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | D N IVSTINIANVS P P AG (Translation: D(-ominus) N(-oster) IVSTINIANVS P(-er-)P(-etuus) A(-u-)G(-ustus) `Our Lord Justinian, Perpetual Emperor`) |
| Reverse description | Large Greek letter K (numeral for 20) occupies the center of the reverse field, denoting the coin's value of 20 nummi, equivalent to one half-follis. A cross or star device flanks each side of the K, serving as decorative field marks consistent with Carthaginian mint practice under Justinian I. The design is boldly struck but somewhat off-center, with the irregular flan showing typical characteristics of provincial hammered coinage. The surface exhibits heavy green and brown patination with areas of encrustation obscuring portions of the devices. No exergual inscription is present. |
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| Additional information |
Carthage returned to imperial hands in 533–534 when Belisarius crushed the Vandal kingdom in a campaign of startling speed — a war that was supposed to be difficult ended in two pitched battles. The North African mint reopened almost immediately, and the distinctive bust-right type produced there differs markedly from Constantinople's output, reflecting local die-cutters working within, but not slavishly copying, metropolitan conventions.
Carthaginian bronzes of this reign are notoriously variable in fabric and centering, a product of a provincial workshop rebuilding its workforce from scratch after nearly a century of Vandal interruption.