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Author Topic: Justin II Half Follis - What do you see?  (Read 885 times)

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Offline Joe Sermarini

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Justin II Half Follis - What do you see?
« on: November 02, 2021, 06:29:29 pm »
Justin II Half Follis - What do you see?

If the mintmark is TES, which is what I think I see, this is a rare year for this Justin II half follis type. Unfortunately it is not clear but I don't know what else it could be. Is it TES or something else? 

Justin II, 15 November 565 - 5 October 578 A.D.

BZ93501. Half follis, 5.664g, 22.3mm, Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece), 569 - 570 A.D.; Hahn MIB II 68b (year listed), SBCV 365 (year listed); Morrisson BnF 5/Th/AE/- (year not in collection, but noted); Sommer 5.18 (year not listed); DOC I - cf. , Wroth BMC -, Tolstoi -, Ratto -

Obv: D N IVSTINVS P P AVG, helmeted, diademed, and cuirassed bust facing, wearing diadem with pendilia, globus cruciger in right hand, shield on left shoulder ornamented with horseman

Rev: large K (20 nummi), cross above, ANNO in column left, u (year 5) right, TES below

This year is rare for this type, which was apparently replaced early in year five with the Justin and Sophia enthroned facing.
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Offline SC

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Re: Justin II Half Follis - What do you see?
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2021, 07:52:46 am »
I see what you see.

But it does not appear to be that rare.

In Hahn/Metlich's MIBE it is 68b.  Year 5 is found in Antioch/Waage (570), Sardis (430), Udine museum and Varsanyi collection.  There is also a year 6 known from numerous examples with either  :V2: 1 or S.

The Justin and Sophia facing type (MIBE 70) is known from year 4 to year 11.  Hahn and Metlich speculate the two officinae may have struck different obverses and that in year 1-4 they struck different forms of Justin's obverse bust - with and w/o cross on orb and in year 4-6 the two very different obverses.

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(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

Offline Joe Sermarini

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Re: Justin II Half Follis - What do you see?
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2021, 07:57:31 am »
Thanks Shawn. It is missing from DOC I, Morrisson BnF, Wroth BMC -, Tolstoi -, and Ratto -. I would say that is a strong indicator of rarity.

I looked in my library and found I have Bates Sardis. I had never used it before.
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Offline Kevin D

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Re: Justin II Half Follis - What do you see?
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2021, 08:32:44 pm »
I think I see a T, but I am not certain. If it is a T then I believe it would imply TES, as I see nothing else in DOC that would start with a T on a Half Follis during the entire reign (in DOC year 5 = 569/70).

Looking for a legible reverse die match but haven't yet found it. This reverse might be from the same hand and give an idea of what we are looking for in the TES characters.

This obverse might be a die match; if yes, it would mean that the obverse which struck Joe's coin was used at TES (increasing the likelyhood of a TES mintmark for the reverse of Joe's coin).

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