Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
40 Nummi - Justinian I Constantinopolis, Type ☧M☧
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 527-538 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Large Greek numeral M (denoting 40 nummi) prominently displayed in the central field, flanked on either side by Christogram symbols (☧), signifying the Christian identity of the Byzantine state. Above the M, a cross is visible, and below the M the mint mark CON denotes the Constantinople mint. In the exergue or immediately beneath the central mark, the officina letter ϵ (epsilon) identifies the fifth workshop. The design is bold and functional, consistent with the reformed Anastasian follis coinage tradition continued under Justinian I. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Justinian I's early follis issues coincide with his sweeping monetary reform of 538, which dramatically increased the weight of the follis and reorganized the denomination system inherited from Anastasius I. The pieces struck before that reform — this type among them — represent the transitional decade when Justinian was simultaneously fighting the Vandals in North Africa, beginning the long Gothic War in Italy, and codifying Roman law into what became the Corpus Juris Civilis. Mint pressure was considerable.
The chi-rho flanking marks on this type reflect Justinian's aggressive alignment of imperial authority with Christian orthodoxy, a policy that defined his domestic program as much as his military campaigns.