Arab-Byzantine Help

[a]

Hi all,

Please, help me to identify this Arab-Byzantine fals:

 AE 18x24 mm

O:   Constans, stg. facing and holding long cross and gl. cr., X in left.
R:   Large m between ANO on either side, above cross, in ex. CA*.

Regards,
Explorer

[Howard Cole]

I don't think this is a Arab-Byzantine coin.  It looks to be a regular issue of Constans II and I would classify it as Sear 1006.  These coins were poorly made and often over struck on flans of previous coins.

If it is Arab-Byzantine, it would be what Goodwin calls Pseudo-Byzantine.  It sort of matchs his Type E, but nothing similar is in his catalog.

Again, I seriously doubt this is an Arab-Byzantine coin.

[vercingetorix]

Looks like a typical ANA NEOS issue, not an arab-byzantine imitation. Nevertheless confusions between these type are very common because some of the arab imitation have even a better style than the original.

[a]

Thanks for replies,

I still convinced that it is no regular issue. The "m" is appearing between two ANO. There is no Constans coins where we meet ANO inscription. The second thing is ex. legend - CA_. It's unusual as both mintmark and regnal year.

Regards,
Explorer

[byzantiumcoins]

This coin is not regular Byzantine ( btw. Sear 1006 has a capital M on the reverse )
Explorer´s  coin has, as pointed out already an "ANA" ( the o rather beeing the upper half of an A )
to left and right of the m, a type that doesn´t exist in Byzantine coinage.
The CA_ in the exergue isn´t unusual though, it is no mintmark but like on a regular Sear 1005
showing the regnal year ( 6 ) and Off. A
The obverse is also not Byzantine, thus we have a Pseudo-Byzantine coin imitating Sear 1005
byzantiumcoins

[a]

Thanks byzantiumcoins.

What you mean "Pseudo-Byzantine"? What is the difference between Arab-Byzantine and Pseudo-Byzantine? Who minted them?   

Regards,
Explorer

[byzantiumcoins]

After the Islamic conquest of Byzantine Syria ( that is modern Syria, parts of Southern Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel )
during the years 634-641 Byzantine coins kept circulating for quite a while,
but after about 658 supply of petty coinage from Byzantium seems to have been cut and local imitations, the so called
Pseudo-Byzantine coins where struck in Syria.
These copy the byzantine coins but inscriptions, mintmarks etc. are mostly blundered and meaningless.
This is the type of coins your specimen belongs to.
The second step in Arab-Byzantine coinage was made from about 670 with the so called "Umayyad Imperial Image coins"
These show Byzantine-style images and meaningful legends in Greek and / or Arabic and mostly bear a mint name.
They have been struck for about 20 years and come from at least 10 different mints.
After about 690 the so called Standing caliph coins formed step 3 but they do not really look very Byzantine anymore.

If you are interested in more details, I truely recommend to you a book recently published by Tony Goodwin,
one of the most knowledgeable scholars of Arab-Byzantine coinage.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1874780757/ref=sr_11_1/002-4948799-7663211?ie=UTF8

Kind regards
byzantiumcoins