">Go to INDEX The Byzantine or Romaion Empire lasted a thousand years after the Fall of Rome. They never spoke of themselves as Byzantines, but as Romans or the Eastern Roman Empire. their language was soon Greek and hence the title Romaion or Roman in Greek is a much better designation than the epithet Byzantine that was created during the Enlightenment as a pejorative term much like the Dark Ages for the Middle Ages.
        Byzantine coinage is traditionally begun with Anastasius (491-518 AD), who minted the tiny bronze nummi with monogram reverses similar to Emperor's Leo, Zeno, and Marcian. Anastasius reform coinage included the large follis with an M for 40 nummi on the reverse, K for 20 nummi I for 10 nummi and E for five nummi. These Greek letters were sometimes replaced by Roman numerals in Rome and Ravena of M=XXXX, K=XX, I=X and E=V. There were other denominations and regnal years often indicated besides the denominations. The follis would get smaller and smaller until it was scarcely larger than a quarter under Constans II (641-668 AD) and the other denominations tended to disappear. The coinage would continue to shrink until the mid-9th century AD when the follis would be about the size of a half dollar. In the 10th century AD these follis often bore the image of Christ and are some of the earliest portraits of Christ we have. The 11th century saw the introduction of smaller denomination of tetarteron and half tetarteons as well as the cup shaped trachy.
        The invasion of the West in the Fourth Crusade and Rise of Bulgaria continued the same denominations often issued from melted Greek bonze statues that had adorned Constantinople. There are Latin and Bulgarian imitations from the time of invasion to reconquest (1204-1261) and local issues from Nicea and Thessalonica as well as the Trebizond. The trachy can also be found in Sicily and Hungary. The Arabs were also imitating Byzantine coinage as soon as they conquered parts of the Byzantine Empire.
        When Michael VIII (1261-1282) restored the Byzantine Empire, he continued the trachy coin, but his successors also minted various flat flan coins in imitation of Western denominations including the follaro, assarion, and stamenon. These Palaeologian bronzes were quite rare until recently and often a silver or even a damaged gold coin is less expensive to represent a particular ruler.
        I have tried to collect a bronze of each denomination of each ruler and all the mint marks of Justinian. I do not have coins of the Anastasius II, Philippicus and the last emperor Constantine XI. I am still missing a few coins in the set I am collecting. I also need to learn how to photograph the deeper trachy coins better. Nevertheless, the coins below should be a good representative sample of average coins. They are arranged in order of ruler and descending denomination. I have provided the S (Sear) and when that is not available H (Hendy) or B (Bendall) or DO (Dumbarton Oaks. Please feel free to e-mail me with suggestions and corrections as this is a work in progress and my first attempt to do a web site.

Anastasius, AE follis, fine, bust right, DNAnastasiusPFAug, 491-518
rev. ex CON, M between stars, cross above, S19, 36mm

Anastasius, AE follis, good-small module, bust right, 491-518, rev. ex CON, M, cross above, x-p counterstamp, S17, 22mm

Anastasius, AE ½ follis, fine, bust right, 491-518
rev. K between long cross and E,S23, 27mm

Anastasius, AE deccanummium, afine, head right, DNAnastasiusPPAug, 491-518
rev. I Concord, S26, 18mm

Anastasius, AE pentanummium, fine, head right, DNAnastasiusPPAug, 491-518
rev. E g, S29,15m

Anastasius, AE pentanummi, fine, vgood, head right, DNAnastasiusPPAug, 491-518 rev. E, CON right, S29a, 13mm

Justin, AE, follis, fine, bust right, DNIustinusPAug, 518-527
rev. ex. NIKM, M with 2 stars & cross,S83, 34mm

Justin I, AE, half-follis, afine, Bust right, ..SPPAU..,518-527, rev. Large K, cross, B, S69, 27mm

Justin I, AE decanummi, afine, bust right, DNIVSTIUSAUG, 518-527
rev. Large I between 2 stars, cross above, S71, 17mm

Justin, AE, pentanummi, afine, bust right, DNIustinusPPAug, 518-527
rev. chi-rho, B.E.& G. E.,S75, 14mm

Justin I, AE pentanummi, vgood, Head right, DNIVSTINUSPPAUG, 518-527
rev. Tyche of Antioch in temple-E, S111, 13mm

Justin I & Justinian I, AE follis, afine, Justin right, DnIustinEIustinianPPAv,527
rev. M, 2 crosses, B, Star,CON, S125, 31mm
Go to Addendum: Justin I, Justinian the Great, S88,92,96,160,170

Justinian I, AR, ½ siliqua, afine, bust right, 527-565
rev. X-P in wreath, S319, 16mm

Justinian I, AE follis, fine, bust right, DNIustinianusPPAug, 527-565
rev.ex COND, M between star & cross, cross above, S158, 33mm

Justinian I, AE follis, fine, bust facing, DNIustinianusPPAPI, 527-565
rev.ex CON, M with cross above, ANNO, A below, XX?, S163, 31mm

Justinian I, AE follis, afine, bust right, DNIustinianusPPAug, 527-565 rev. ex NIKM, M between star & cross,cross above, S198, 32mm

Justinian I, AE follis,vfine, Helmeted head facing, shield, cross, globe, DNIustianusPPAug, 527-565
rev.ex KYZ, M, annoXX4, B, S207, 34mm

Justinian I, AE follis, fine, Bust right, DNIustinianusPPAug , 527-565 rev. M, cross above, stars, ex ANTIX, S213, 33mm

Justinian I, AE follis, afine, J.enthroned, facing, scepter & globed cross,DNIustianusPPAug, 527-565
rev.M, star & moon, exTHEUP, S214, 33mm

Justinian I, AE follis, fine, bust right, DNIustinianusPPAu, 527-565, rev. ex THE4Po, M, A, 2 stars and cross, S216, 32mm

Justinian I, AE follis, afine, bust right, DNIustinianusPPAu, 527-565 rev. ex QUPOLS, M, A, star, S217, 31mm

Justinian I, AE follis, vfine, bust facing, globed cross, cross, DNIustinianusPPAu
rev. ex TH4P, M, anno xx&iii, S222, 36mm

Justinian I, AE follis, vfine, bust right, DNIustinianusPPAu, 527-565 rev. ex KART, M, star and 2 crosses, S257, 27mm

Justinian I, AE. Half-follis, fine, Bust right,..INIANUSPPA.., 527-565 rev. Large K, Cross, Stars, S164, 25mm

Justinian I, AE. Half-follis, fine, Bust right,..INIANUSPPA., 527-565 rev. Large K, Cross, Stars, S164, 26mm

Justinian I, AE, half-follis, afine, Bust facing, ..NIUSTIN.., 527-565 rev. Large K, Anno, XX?, B, S165, 25mm

Justinian I, AE, half-follis, fine, Bust facing, .IUSTINANUSPPAU, 527-565 rev. Large K, Anno, XXX4II, cross, S174, 24mm

Justinian I, ½ follis, vgood, Justinian enthroned, DnIustinianusPPAv, 527-565 rev. K, cross, THEUOP, G, S225, 28mm

Justinian I, AE-16 nummi, afine, Head right, ..INIANUSPP.., 527-565 rev. Large AISP, S175, 23mm

Justinian I, AE,16 nummi, fine, head right, DNIustinianusPPAug, 527-565 rev. ex. TES, A-IS-P, cross & stars above I,S177, 27mm

Justinian I, AE, fine, 12 nummi, fine, DNIustinianusPPAu,527-565 rev. ex. ALEX, IB, with cross between, S247, 14mm (Imitation?)

Justinian I AE12 nummi, afine, Head right, ..VSPPAV, 527-565 rev. Large I+B, S247, 17mm

Justinian I,AE decanummi,afine,bust right,DNIustinianusPPAug,527-565 rev.exCON,ANNO,I topped with cross,reg XXI6I,S167, 20mm

Justinian I, AE decanummi, afine, head right, ..INIAN..., 527-565 rev. exNIKO,Large I, ANNO, S205, 16mm

Justinian I, AE decanummi, vgood, diademed head right, DNIustianusPPAug, 527-565 rev. exKYZ, I, cross above, anno XXXII, S209, 17mm

Justinian I, AE decanummi, vgood, head right, DNIustinianusPPA., 527-565 rev. Large I, Anno XIIII, ex CAR, S269, 23mm

Justinian I, AE decanummi, afine, head right, 527-565
rev. exCAR,Large I with cross, ANNO, XX4, S269, 23mm

Justinian I, AE decanummi, fine, bust right,DNIustianianusPPA,527-565 rev. Victory stands, VictoriaAG,X with stars,S271, 20mm

Justinian I, AE decanummi, afine, head right, 527-565
rev. Large I, 2 crosses, ex CON, S286 (Numidia), 21mm

Justinian I,AE,decanummi,vgood, bust facing,DNIustinianusPPAug,527-565 rev. NNO, I in wreath,reg XXVIII,S326 (Ravenna), 17mm

Justinian I, AE 8 nummi, vgood, bust right, 527-565
rev. H, delta left, S190, 18mm

Justinian I, AE pentanummi,vgood, bust right, 527-565
rev. X-P, B-E, S169v (Constantinople), 14mm

Justinian I, AE pentanummi, afine, bust right, DNIustianusPPAug 527-565 rev. Large E, S right, S193 (Thessalonica), 13mm

Justinian I, AE-pentanummi, vfine, Diademed head right, DNIustianusPPAu, 527-565 rev. monogram, S197, (Cherson), 15mm
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Justinian I, half follis, afine, Head right, DNIustianusPP, 527-565, rev. K, S331 (Salona), 18mm

Justin I, follis, vgood, Head right, DNIustiusPPAu, 518-527
rev. ex Con, M,B,star, 2 crosses, S64, 32mm

Justin I, half follis, vgood, Head right, DNIustiusPPAug, 518-527 rev. K, B, crosses, S104(Antioch), 21mm