Coin Item Number: 3095/1638 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Byzantine coin from ‘Anonymous Folles’ Period, 970-1092. Obverse: bust of Christ, facing front; he has a nimbus cruciger around his head, which is a cross within a halo; he wears a pallium, which is a woolen cloak; he holds the Book of Gospels in front of him, which is decorated with dots; to left, inscription says ‘IC’; to right, ‘XC’. Reverse: inscription of three lines, which says ‘ISXS/bASILE/bASIL’; above, cross; beneath, pattern of lines.

History Of Use

"Follis" (denomination); Sear# 1855. The Sear catalogue says that this coin most likely belonged to Constantine X.

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.