US DOLLAR
EURO
AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR
CANADIAN DOLLAR
POUND STERLING
Product Description
This excellent quality anonymous bronze follis coin was minted by Roman Byzantine Emperor Michael IV, dating from 1034 - 1041 AD. It is of the Class C type, and has a nice GREEN patina that highlights the image of Christ holding the gospels, as well as the reverse inscription. The obverse shows a three-quarter length figure of Christ standing facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, raising right in benediction, Gospels held in left. The reverse shows a jeweled cross with pellet at each extremity, in the open fields, IC - XC / NI-KA, meaning "May Jesus Christ Conquer".
HISTORY
Starting with emperor John I Tzimisces during his rule which began in 969 AD, and lasting for over a century until Alexius' coinage reform in 1092 AD, the production of follis denomination Byzantine coins featured not an emperor, but religious Christian motifs which included included Jesus Christ, and even the Virgin Mary. These coins were designed to honor Christ and recognize the subservient role of the Byzantine emperor, with many of the reverse inscriptions translating to "Jesus Christ King of Kings" and "May Jesus Christ Conquer". The follis denomination coins were the largest bronze denomination coins issued by the Byzantine empire, and their large size, along with the Christian motif make them a popular coin type for collectors.
