Coin Item Number: 3095/1634 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Byzantine coin from ‘Anonymous Folles’ Period, 970-1092. Obverse: bust of Christ, facing front, with a short beard; he has a nimbus cruciger around his head, which is a cross within a halo; he holds the Book of Gospels in front of him, which is decorated with dots; to left, inscription says ‘IC’; to right, ‘XC’. Reverse: large cross, resting on three steps; there is also an inscription of three lines which intersects with the cross; it says ‘[ISXS]/bASIL[E]/bASIL[E]’. The inscription on the obverse in translation says ‘Jesus Christ’. The inscription on the reverse in translation says ‘Jesus Christ, King of Kings’.

History Of Use

"Follis" (denomination); Sear# 1823. The Sear catalogue says that this coin most likely belonged to Romanus III.

Narrative

The ‘Anonymous Folles’ are a group of coins spanning just over a century. They often have a depiction of Christ in place of any images or inscriptions which would indicate the emperor to whose reign they belong, thus rendering them anonymous.