- The Collaborative Numismatics Project
  Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!! NumisWiki Is An Enormous Unique Resource Including Hundreds Of Books And Thousands Of Articles Online!!! The Column On The Left Includes Our "Best of NumisWiki" Menu If You Are New To Collecting - Start With Ancient Coin Collecting 101 NumisWiki Includes The Encyclopedia of Roman Coins and Historia Nummorum If You Have Written A Numismatic Article - Please Add It To NumisWiki All Blue Text On The Website Is Linked - Keep Clicking To ENDLESSLY EXPLORE!!! Please Visit Our Shop And Find A Coin You Love Today!!!

× Resources Home
Home
New Articles
Most Popular
Recent Changes
Current Projects
Admin Discussions
Guidelines
How to
zoom.asp
Index Of All Titles


BEST OF

AEQVITI
Aes Formatum
Aes Rude
The Age of Gallienus
Alexander Tetradrachms
Ancient Coin Collecting 101
Ancient Coin Prices 101
Ancient Coin Dates
Ancient Coin Lesson Plans
Ancient Coins & Modern Fakes
Ancient Counterfeits
Ancient Glass
Ancient Metal Arrowheads
Ancient Oil Lamps
Ancient Pottery
Ancient Weapons
Ancient Wages and Prices
Ancient Weights and Scales
Anonymous Follis
Anonymous Class A Folles
Antioch Officinae
Aphlaston
Armenian Numismatics Page
Augustus - Facing Portrait
Brockage
Bronze Disease
Byzantine
Byzantine Denominations
A Cabinet of Greek Coins
Caesarean and Actian Eras
Campgates of Constantine
Carausius
A Case of Counterfeits
Byzantine Christian Themes
Clashed Dies
Codewords
Coins of Pontius Pilate
Conditions of Manufacture
Corinth Coins and Cults
Countermarked in Late Antiquity
Danubian Celts
Damnatio Coinage
Damnatio Memoriae
Denomination
Denarii of Otho
Diameter 101
Die Alignment 101
Dictionary of Roman Coins
Doug Smith's Ancient Coins
Draco
Edict on Prices
ERIC
ERIC - Rarity Tables
Etruscan Alphabet
The Evolving Ancient Coin Market
EQVITI
Fel Temp Reparatio
Fertility Pregnancy and Childbirth
Fibula
Flavian
Fourree
Friend or Foe
The Gallic Empire
Gallienus Zoo
Greek Alphabet
Greek Coins
Greek Dates
Greek Coin Denominations
Greek Mythology Link
Greek Numismatic Dictionary
Hellenistic Names & their Meanings
Hasmoneans
Hasmonean Dynasty
Helvetica's ID Help Page
The Hexastyle Temple of Caligula
Historia Numorum
Holy Land Antiquities
Horse Harnesses
Illustrated Ancient Coin Glossary
Important Collection Auctions
Islamic Rulers and Dynasties
Julian II: The Beard and the Bull
Julius Caesar - The Funeral Speech
Koson
Kushan Coins
Later Roman Coinage
Latin Plurals
Latin Pronunciation
Legend
Library of Ancient Coinage
Life in Ancient Rome
List of Kings of Judea
Medusa Coins
Maps of the Ancient World
Military Belts
Military Belts
Mint Marks
Monogram
Museum Collections Available Online
Nabataea
Nabataean Alphabet
Nabataean Numerals
The [Not] Cuirassed Elephant
Not in RIC
Numismatic Bulgarian
Numismatic Excellence Award
Numismatic French
Numismatic German
Numismatic Italian
Numismatic Spanish
Parthian Coins
Patina 101
Paleo-Hebrew Alphabet
Paleo-Hebrew Script Styles
People in the Bible Who Issued Coins
Imperial Mints of Philip the Arab
Phoenician Alphabet
Pi-Style Athens Tetradrachms
Pricing and Grading Roman Coins
Reading Judean Coins
Representations of Alexander the Great
Roman Coin Attribution 101
Roman Coin Legends and Inscriptions
Roman Keys
Roman Locks
Roman Militaria
Roman Military Belts
Roman Mints
Roman Names
romancoin.info
Rome and China
Sasanian
Satyrs and Nymphs
Scarabs
Serdi Celts
Serrated
Siglos
The Sign that Changed the World
Silver Content of Parthian Drachms
Star of Bethlehem Coins
Statuary Coins
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum
Syracusian Folles
Taras Drachms with Owl Left
The Temple Tax
The Temple Tax Hoard
Test Cut
Travels of Paul
Tribute Penny
Tribute Penny Debate Continued (2015)
Tribute Penny Debate Revisited (2006)
Tyrian Shekels
Uncleaned Ancient Coins 101
Vabalathus
Venus Cloacina
What I Like About Ancient Coins
Who was Trajan Decius
Widow's Mite
XXI

   View Menu
 

Byzantine Coin Denominations

Byzantine coinage spans almost 1000 years from the reign of Anastasius I to the Ottoman conquest. There are many denominations and that they change over time. It 's hardly surprising that discussing the Byzantine denominations is complex. The early period is a bit complex, because different mints struck coins to different standards. The last (Palaeologan) period also has its difficulties, because no one is really sure about the relationship between the different denominations.

At the start of the Byzantine period – usually taken to be the currency reform inaugurated by Anastasius I in 498 CE – the basic gold coin is the solidus (Latin) = nomisma (Greek) which had existed since the time of Constantine I. The solidus had a nominal weight of 4.5g (= 4 scripula = 24 carats = 1/72 of a Roman pound) In fact, the weight and fineness remain surprisingly stable from the 6th century until debasement sets in in the 11th century, though in the sixth and seventh centuries some light-weight solidi of 20, 22 or 23 carats were issued, normally with a different signature in exergue to distinguish them from full-weight coins. Because of the stability of the solidus, it became widely used internationally; in medieval English this coin became known as the bezant.

Fractions of the solidus were also struck: the semissis = ½ solidus and the tremissis = 1/3 solidus. We also (but rarely) encounter multiples of the solidus, though these are always commemorative ceremonial issues, closer to medallions than coins for general circulation.

Early Byzantine silver coins are rare in the East and were also used mainly for ceremonial issues. The largest denomination is called the miliarense, but there are two weight standards, heavy (5.4g = 1/60 pound)) and light (4.5g = 1/72 pound). The siliqua = ½ miliarense. In sixth century Italy and North Africa, there was more extensive use of silver with some denominations based on those previously issued by the Vandals and Ostrogoths, which were multiples of the copper coinage. So in Italy, for example, you find silver 250-nummi and 125-nummi pieces as well as the siliqua and fractions thereof.

Anastasius I completely reformed the copper coinage in 498. The tiny, badly struck nummus coins which characterized the earlier 5th century were replaced by large and clearly marked multiples of the nummus. Greek, as indicated in the table below, uses letters to represent numbers, A = 1, B = 2, Γ = 3, Δ = 4, E (ε) = 5, ζ (S) = 6, … I = 10, K = 20, Λ = 30, M =40, etc. The largest denomination was the follis = 40 nummi and it was marked with an M. The original weight standard of the follis (it changed over time) was 18 to the pound, and since a solidus was theoretically worth 20 pounds of copper, you can work out that 1 solidus = 360 folles.

The smaller denominations are fractional folles, normally the half-follis (K), the decanummium (I) and the pentanummium (ε). In the West, the same denominations were issued, but marked with Roman numerals instead of Greek letters: follis (XXXX), half-follis (XX), decanummium (X) and pentanummium (V). And under the emperor Phocas, even the Eastern mints generally used Roman numerals as denominational marks. During his reign a three-quarter follis (XXX) was also struck.

But, just to complicate matters, there were a couple of mints which 'did their own thing ', presumably because that was what local merchants were used to. The standard type struck at the mint in Alexandria was the 12-nummi piece (marked I+B); there were also fractions – 6-nummi (S) and 3-nummi (Γ) – and also a 33-nummi coin (ΛΓ).

Thessalonica under Justinian I used yet another different standard, and you find a series of 16-nummi issues, marked on the reverse AISP or similar. The two middle letters IS stand for the number 16. There are also fractions: 8-nummi (AHP) and 4-nummi (AΔP). There are various theories about what the surrounding AP letters might mean.

And there was a minor mint at Cherson in the Crimea, producing coins apparently for local circulation, which didn 't follow the denominational marking system. But judging by size and weight, the Cherson issues were probably pentanummia.

That covers the start of the Byzantine era, where many collectors begin. If you can contribute to expanding this article - please do!


Symbols used to indicate Byzantine Denominations

Bronze Coins

Greek
M or m = 40 nummi = follis
h = 8 pentanummium = follis (Maurice Tiberius, Cherson)
ΛΓ = 33 nummi (Alexandria)
Λ = 30 nummi
K = 20 nummi = 1/2 follis
IS = 16 nummi (Justin I, Thessalonica)
IB = 12 nummi (Alexandria)
I = 10 nummi = decanummium
H = 8 nummi (Thessalonica)
S = 6 nummi (Alexandria)
Є or Э = 5 nummi = pentanummium
Δ = 4 nummi (Thessalonica)
Γ = 3 nummi (Thessalonica)
NƆ = 2 1/2 nummi
B = 2 nummi (Thessalonica, Carthage)
T = 1 1/2 nummi (Thessalonica)
A or N = 1 nummus

Latin
XXXX = 40 nummi = follis
XXX = 30 nummi = 3/4 follis
XX = 20 nummi = 1/2 follis
X or V V (Carthage) = 10 nummi = 1/4 follis = decanummium
V or y = 5 nummi = pentanummium
II = 2 nummi

Silver Coins

PK or ΦK = 120 nummi (Ravenna, Rome)
PKE = 125 nummi (Ravenna, Rome)
CN = 250 nummi = 1/2 siliqua (Ravenna and Vandals, Carthage)

Non-Byzantine

Bosporan Kingdom
MH = 48 nummi

Vandals, Carthage
XII = 12 nummi
XLII = 42 nummi
XXI = 21 nummi
IIII = 4 nummi


All coins are guaranteed for eternity