A very interesting pagan coin weight made from a follis of Maximinus II
Lot 332
Byzantine Weights, circa 350-400. Weight of 1 Nomisma (Bronze, 18 mm, 4.34 g, 12 h), an irregularly shaped coin weight for a solidus made from a follis of Maximinus II (310-313). IMP C GAL VAL M[AXIMINVS P F AVG] Laureate head of Maximinus II to right. Rev. [SOLE INVI]CTO / ANT Sol standing front, head to left, in quadriga galloping left, raising his right hand and holding globus in his left; below the horses, Δ. RIC 142. A highly interesting piece with attractive earthen highlights. Very fine.


From an interesting European collection of Byzantine coin & commercial weights.


Cutting worn old coins down to coin weights was a rather common practice in the 4th-7th centuries (see Pera 633-659), but these pieces were usually defaced and heavily altered to withdraw them from circulation, leaving the undertypes often unidentifiable. This unusually attractive example, however, is a very interesting exception to the rule: it was made from a little worn follis of Maximinus II, one of the last imperial persecutors of Christians, and bears a decidedly pagan reverse, both of which indicates that it was cut down to a solidus weight somewhen in the second half of the 4th century at the latest, before Christianity became the predominant religion throughout the empire.
Estimate:
250 CHF
Starting price:
200 CHF
Hammer price:
420 CHF
Bid increment:
Closed
Minimum bid:
Closed
Number of bids:
Time left:
Closing time: 27-Oct-18, 06:00:00 CEST
All winning bids are subject to a {0} buyer's fee.

Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your online experience. By using our website, you accept our data privacy policy and the use of cookies.
Cart
Disconnected

Connection lost

You have lost your connection. Because we present current bids in real-time, your browser may display outdated or incorrect bidding information.

Please check your network connection and try again. We recommend refreshing the website to display the accurate bidding information again.