The
half-follis SBCV 1880a was first published by Philip
Grierson in
vol. 3 of
DOC. The single specimen he described weighed 3.56g with
diameter 20mm. He commented: “This is not a clipped
follis – the slightly bevelled edges show no sign of clipping – but a different
denomination. The
type of the
obverse is only slightly smaller than that of the
follis, but that of the
reverse is much smaller and the
inscription is differently spaced with the initial + separated from MIX.” Not everyone since has agreed with Grierson's judgement that this represents a separate
denomination.
Anyway, by contrast, your coin is within the normal
weight range [
Grierson catalogues 19 examples, mostly between 5g and 8g] and size [24mm to 29mm, with one larger specimen of 31mm] of
SBCV 1878 and the initial + (which I think I can just about make out) seems not to be separated from
symbols following.
Bill R.
