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Index Of All Titles


BEST OF

AEQVITI
Aes Formatum
Aes Rude
The Age of Gallienus
Alexander Tetradrachms
Ancient Coin Collecting 101
Ancient Coin Prices 101
Ancient Coin Dates
Ancient Coin Lesson Plans
Ancient Coins & Modern Fakes
Ancient Counterfeits
Ancient Glass
Ancient Metal Arrowheads
Ancient Oil Lamps
Ancient Pottery
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Anonymous Follis
Anonymous Class A Folles
Antioch Officinae
Aphlaston
Armenian Numismatics Page
Augustus - Facing Portrait
Brockage
Bronze Disease
Byzantine
Byzantine Denominations
A Cabinet of Greek Coins
Caesarean and Actian Eras
Campgates of Constantine
Carausius
A Case of Counterfeits
Byzantine Christian Themes
Clashed Dies
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Coins of Pontius Pilate
Conditions of Manufacture
Corinth Coins and Cults
Countermarked in Late Antiquity
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Diameter 101
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Dictionary of Roman Coins
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ERIC
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The Evolving Ancient Coin Market
EQVITI
Fel Temp Reparatio
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XXI

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ERIC Table of Contents


Title Page

Introduction

About Roman Coins

Denominations

Coins of Other Ancient Cultures

Identifying Roman Coins

How To Use This Book

Mintmarks

Mint Map

Pricing And Grading

Bibliography

Reference Catalogs Cited

Coin Terms Used

Glossary

Rarity Tables

Index of Rulers

Photography Credits

Additional Web Resources

Imperial Catalog:

AUGUSTUS
LIVA
AGRIPPA
NERO CLAUDIUS DRUSUS
GERMANICUS
AGRIPPINA I
TIBERIUS
DRUSUS
ANTONIA
CALIGULA
CLAUDIUS I
BRITANNICUS
AGRIPPINA II
NERO
GALBA
CLODIUS MACER
OTHO
VITELLIUS
VESPASIAN
DOMITILLA
TITUS
DOMITIAN
DOMITIA
JULIA TITI
NERVA
TRAJAN
PLOTINA
MARCIANA
MATIDIA
HADRIAN
SABINA
AELIUS
ANTONINUS PIUS
FAUSTINA I
MARCUS AURELIUS
FAUSTINA II
LUCIUS VERUS
LUCILLA
COMMODUS
CRISPINA
PERTINAX
DIDIUS JULIANUS
MANLIA SCANTILLA
DIDIA CLARA
PESCENNIUS NIGER
CLODIUS ALBINUS
SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS
JULIA DOMNA
CARACALLA
PLAUTILLA
GETA
MACRINUS
DIADUMENIAN
ELAGABALUS
JULIA MAESA
JULIA SOAEMIAS
JULIA PAULA
AQUILIA SEVERA
ANNIA FAUSTINA
SEVERUS ALEXANDER
JULIA MAMAEA
ORBIANA
MAXIMINUS I
PAULINA
MAXIMUS
GORDIAN I
GORDIAN II
BALBINUS
PUPIENUS
GORDIAN III
TRANQUILLINA
PHILIP I
OTACILIA SEVERA
PHILIP II
PACATIAN
JOTAPIAN
TRAJAN DECIUS
HERENNIA ETRUSCILLA
HERENNIUS ETRUSCUS
HOSTILIAN
TREBONIANUS GALLUS
VOLUSIAN
AEMILIAN
CORNELIA SUPERA
SILBANNACUS
URANIUS ANTONINUS
VALERIAN I
MARINIANA
VALERIAN II
GALLIENUS
SALONINA
SALONINUS
REGALIANUS
DRYANTILLA
POSTUMUS
LAELIANUS
MARIUS
VICTORINUS
DOMITIAN II
TETRICUS I
TETRICUS II
QUIETUS
MACRIANUS
CLAUDIUS II
QUINTILLUS
AURELIAN
SEVERINA
ZENOBIA
VABALATHUS
TACITUS
FLORIAN
PROBUS
SATURNINUS
CARUS
CARINUS
MAGNIA URBICA
NIGRIAN
NUMERIAN
JULIAN I
DIOCLETIAN
MAXIMIAN
CARAUSIUS
ALLECTUS
DOMITIUS DOMITIANUS
CONSTANTIUS I
THEODORA
GALERIUS
GALERIA VALERIA
SEVERUS II
MAXENTIUS
ROMULUS
CONSTANTINE I
HELENA
FAUSTA
ALEXANDER
LICINIUS I
CONSTANTIA
MAXIMINUS II
LICINIUS II
CRISPUS
VALERIUS VALENS
MARTINIAN
CONSTANTINE II
DELMATIUS
HANNIBALLIANUS
CONSTANS
CONSTANTIUS II
MAGNENTIUS
DECENTIUS
NEPOTIAN
VETRANO
CONSTANTIUS GALLUS
JULIAN II
JOVIAN
VALENTINIAN I
VALENS
PROCOPIUS
GRATIAN
VALENTINIAN II
THEODOSIUS I
AELIA FLACCILLA
MAGNUS MAXIMINUS
FLAVIUS VICTOR
EUGENIUS
HONORIUS
CONSTANTINE III
CONSTANS II
MAXIMINUS
PRISCUS ATTALUS
JOVINUS
SABASTIANUS
CONSTANTIUS III
GALLA PLACIDIA
JOHANNES
VALENTINIAN III
LICINIA EUDOXIA
HONORIA
PETRONIUS MAXIMINUS
AVITUS
MAJORIAN
LIBIUS SEVERUS
ANTHEMIUS
EUPHEMIA
ANICIUS OLYBRIUS
GLYCERIUS
JULIUS NEPOS
ROMULUS AUGUSTUS
ARCADIUS
EUDOXIA
PULCHERIA
THEODOSIUS II
EUDOCIA
MARCIAN
LEO I
VERINA
LEO II
ZENO
ARIADNE
BASILISCUS
ZENONIS
LEONTIUS I
ANASTASIUS I
ANONYMOUS COINAGE

ERIC The Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins
by Rasiel Suarez



Anastasius I

Augustus 491-518

In a larger context the Byzantine empire as such could be said to have started when the ancient city of Byzantium was renamed Constantinople by Constantine I and made a political axis on a par with Rome. Numismatic historians, however, classify Anastasius as the last Roman Emperor and the first Byzantine one. Although  he considered himself "Roman", along with all future Byzantine emperors, his choice in 498 to discard the then monetary system in favor of a new, more Greek-aligned one was a lasting landmark of profound significance. Culturally, the Byzantines were always Greek under their skin and as the influence of the Romans waned there was ever less reason to reflect what to them was a foreign culture even at an official level. Within another hundred years most distinctly Roman traits had been supplanted by the new zeitgeist which better served, after all, a Greek citizenry. 
 
During his reign he consolidated power in what was left of the eastern half of the empire and gave up for lost the barbarian-infested western one. To his credit, he was a shrewd administrator and settled several favorable trade treaties which started off the Byzantine period on sound financial footing.
 
Note: So little care has gone into the engraving of the legends during and after this reign that only the primary legend forms will be catalogued. Blunders and minor variations are to be expected.

Although he was never any the wiser himself, Anastasius stood at a sort of historical crossroads. Several years after becoming emperor he decided he‟d had it with the currency system as it stood and put into effect a series of reforms that forever changes the Roman numismatic legacy.
 
First and most far-reaching he reintroduced the Follis which was last seen in its full weight two hundred years before. He tariffed this coin as worth 40 of the little old AE4‟s that up until then had been the backbone of small commerce. These now get the formal name of Nummus whence we get "numismatics" today. Although very important as a keystone in currency the actual coins are now largely phased out of production and exist mostly as multiples with the 40-nummus Follis and 20-nummus half Follis being made in great quantities. And this reform kicks in the Byzantine period which will last for nearly another millennium. Legends gradually shed their Latin characters in favor of Greek and, as elsewhere with this culture, art begins to acquire a strong Eastern Christian flavor.
 
While Anastasius tinkered with the bronze coinage he left the time-honored Solidus and its ancillary fractions alone. The collector should be reminded that the bronzes and precious metal coinage existed almost in two separate dichotomies. While every-day trade at the market was facilitated by this copper small change, bullion and barter, the gold coins (and even more rarely now the silver ones) were used primarily to pay soldiers and reserved for other government transactions.
 
For pre-reform bronze coins of Anastasius one finds the relatively elusive tiny AE4‟s typical of the other eastern emperors before him and are found usually in such poor condition that they defy attribution. The post-reform bronzes are much easier to locate and even though they, too, were made of cheap alloys subject to corrosion their size is usally large enough that they remain identifiable. These early Byzantine coins are sold from the dirt-cheap eyesores to over $200 for pristine bronzes regardless of denomination.
 
The gold coins, primarily the Solidus and the Tremissis, can be purchased for around $500 and $200 respectively.
 

Busts:


 
1) Diademed bust left, wearing consular robes, holding mappa and cross
2) Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
3) Helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding spear over shoulder and shield

 

Obverses:

 
1) DN ANASTASIO PP AVG
2) DN ANASTASIVS PERP AVG
3) DN ANASTASIVS PF AVG
4) DN ANASTASIVS PP A
5) DN ANASTASIVS PP AV
6) DN ANASTASIVS PP AVG

 

Reverses:

 
1) CONCORD
2) GLORIA ROMANORVM
3) GLOR ORVS TRRA
4) SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE
5) VICTORIA AVGGG
6) VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM
7) No legend

 

Types:

 
1) Anastasius seated, facing, holding akakia and cross on globe
2) Anastasius standing, facing, holding spear and resting hand on shield
3) Circle, monogram within
4) Large letter E
5) Large letter I
6) Large letter K, cross to left
7) Large letter M, cross above
8) Victory advancing forward, holding wreath and cross on globe
9) Victory seated right, holding shield reading XXXX
10) Victory standing left, holding scepter with Christogram (Type I, see photo at section end)
11) Victory standing left, holding scepter with Christogram (Type II)
12) Victory standing left, holding cross.
13) Wreath, VOT / MVLT / MTI within

 

Mints:

 
1) Antioch
2) Constantinopolis
3) Nicomedia
4) Thessalonica

AU Solidus Reference(s)

 
1) B1, O6, R4, T01, M2 Exe: */CONOB
2) B3, O6, R5, T10, M2 Exe: */CONOB  Officina at end of reverse legend SB 4
3) B3, O6, R5, T11, M2 Exe: */CONOB  Officina at end of reverse legend SB 5
4) B3, O6, R5, T12, M2 Exe: */*/CONOB SB 30
5) B3, O6, R5, T12, M2 Exe: */CONOB  Officina at end of reverse legend SB 3

 
AU Semissis

 
6) B2, O6, R5, T09, M2 Exe: */¤/CONOB SB 6

 
AU Tremissis

 
7) B2, O6, R6, T08, M2 Exe: */CONOB SB 8

 
AR Miliarense

 
8) B2, O6, R3, T02, M4 Exe: */THSOB 

 
AR Siliqua

 
9) B2, O6, R7, T13, M2 Exe: CONOS* SB 11

 
AE Follis (40 Nummus)

 
10) B2, O6, R7, T07, M2 Exe: `/CON   * on either side of M (and • above and below each *)  SB 21
11) B2, O6, R7, T07, M2 Exe: `/CON   * on either side of M SB 16
12) B2, O6, R7, T07, M2 Exe: `/CON   * to left of M
13) B2, O6, R7, T07, M2 Exe: CON SB 14

 
AE ½ Follis (20 Nummus)

 
14) B2, O6, R7, T07, M2 Exe: CON  Officina to right of K SB 14

 
Note: In the smaller denominations the obverse legend is almost always abbreviated in arbitrary fashion to read, roughly, DN ANAS PP AVG. However, these legends are only very rarely readable in their entirety.
 
AE 5 Nummus

 
15) B2, O?, R7, T04, M2  • above and below central line of the E and officina to right SB 29
16) B2, O?, R7, T04, M2  Officina to right of the E SB 29

 
AE4

 
17) B2, O?, R7, T03, M2   SB 13

 

Anastasius I Busts

Anastasius I Types

 
 
 
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