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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Types| ▸ |Facing Heads||View Options:  |  |  |   

Facing Heads on Ancient Coins
Byzantine Empire, Duchy of Chaldia, Theodore Gabras, c. 1075 - 1098 A.D., In the Name of Alexius I Comnenus

|Trebizond|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Duchy| |of| |Chaldia,| |Theodore| |Gabras,| |c.| |1075| |-| |1098| |A.D.,| |In| |the| |Name| |of| |Alexius| |I| |Comnenus||follis|NEW
Theodore Gabras' crowning glory was the recapture of Trebizond from the Seljuk Turks c. 1075, which he ruled for years as if it were his own personal fiefdom. By the late 1080s, Theodore was residing at Constantinople. To keep him in check, Alexios I made Theodore Dux of Chaldia and ordered him to take up his post, leaving his eldest son Gregory at the court. By 1091, Theodore returned to the capital, demanding the return of his son. Alexios refused, claiming he was contemplating marrying the boy to one of his own daughters. Doubting the emperor, Theodore sailed with his son to Trebizond in secret. Alexios sent a squadron of ships which overtook Theodore and advised him that if he refused to hand over his son, he would be arrested as a rebel. Theodore allowed Alexios’ emissaries to take Gregory back with them, while he continued back to Trebizond. Gregory attempted to escape but was discovered and imprisoned. A man of Theodore's military talents was too good to waste, and by 1097 he was once again at the front line fighting the Turks in alliance with the Crusaders. While the Franks were engaged at the Siege of Antioch, Theodore was marching with Alexios, helping him recapture towns in western Asia Minor. In 1098 he was captured by the Danishmends and martyred. He was later venerated as a saint. His younger son Constantine Gabras succeeded him as Dux of Chaldia. Following the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the region became the center of the new Empire of Trebizond which survived until falling to the Ottomans in 1461. The feast day of Saint Theodoros Gabras is 2 October.
BZ113693. Bronze follis, Bendall Trebizond NC 137 (1977), p. 131 & pl. 6, 3; Corinth VI p. 151 & pl. X, 175; DOC IV -; Hendy -; SBCV -, F, green patina, light earthen deposits, off center, wavy clipped polygonal flan with 9(?) sides (as minted), weight 4.050 g, maximum diameter 26.6 mm, die axis 0o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, c. 1092 - 1098 A.D.; obverse + AΛEΞI - ΔECP (or similar, struck in the name of Emperor Alexius I Comnenus), facing bust, wearing crown with cross and pendilia, stemma, collar piece, divitision and chlamys, cruciform scepter in right hand, globus cruciger in left; reverse Cross fourchée-pommée on three steps, IC - XC / NH-KA (Jesus Christ conquers) in angles of cross; only one sale of this type listed on Coin Archives in the last two decades, the finest of only six specimens known to FORVM; extremely rare; $900.00 SALE PRICE $810.00
 


Byzantine Empire, Maurice Tiberius, 13 August 582 - 22 November 602 A.D.

|Byzantine| |Countermarked|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Maurice| |Tiberius,| |13| |August| |582| |-| |22| |November| |602| |A.D.||follis|NEW
The countermark has been identified as the monogram of Theodore, brother (or perhaps half-brother) of Heraclius, (c. 634-636 A.D.), by comparison with his identical monograms on seals. A very rare countermark, missing from most collections.
BZ113347. Bronze follis, DOC I 31b, SBCV 494, Wroth BMC 46, Morrisson BnF I 7/Cp/AE/19 var. (officina), Sommer 7.21.2, Tolstoi -, Ratto -; Countermark: Lampinen pp. 399-404, VF, attractive dark patina with earthen highlights, weight 11.566 g, maximum diameter 31.0 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, 589 - 590 A.D.; obverse D N MAVRC - TIbER PP AVC, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, globus cruciger in right hand, shield in left hand ornamented with horseman, countermark: monogram in a 7.5mm round punch; reverse large M (40 nummi), cross above, ANNO left, ςII (year 8) right, B (2nd officina) below, CON (Constantinople) in exergue; very rare countermark; $500.00 SALE PRICE $450.00
 


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

|Justin| |II|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Justin| |II,| |15| |November| |565| |-| |5| |October| |578| |A.D.||half-follis|NEW
Justin was unable to hold the territory Justinian had restored. Most of Italy and parts of Spain were quickly lost to the Lombards and Visigoths. Refusal to pay tribute to the Sassanids, resulted in protracted war. The burdens of office drove him insane and his successor was regent for the last four years of his reign.

This remarkable Thessalonican half-follis rarity, unrecorded in Hahn MIB II, did not pass without comment by the authors of the later revamped English edition (MIBEC): "On the half-folles [of Thessalonica] the old obv.-type with frontal bust was continued in the first years of Justin's reign as in Antioch. Occasionally it was copied from the solidi which have a Victoriola on globe in the hand of the emperor (no.68c). The change to the new obverses with the enthroned couple, restricted to the half-follis (no.70), took place in year 4. Apparently the large number of obv.-dies showing the frontal bust of the emperor (no.69) made it prudent to use them up simultaneously with the new type, so that the old obverse did not disappear finally until year 6."
BZ95682. Bronze half-follis, Hahn MIBEC 68c (2 spec.; 1 for year 1), Hahn MIB II -, DOC I -, Morrisson BnF -, Sommer -, Wroth BMC -, Ratto -, SBCV -, EBCC -, aVF/gVF, mostly bare metal but pleasingly toned, slightly irregular flan, uneven strike, Victory on globe clear, weight 5.217 g, maximum diameter 21.4 mm, die axis 180o, Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) mint, 565 - 566 A.D.; obverse D N IVSTI-NVS P P AV[G?], cuirassed bust facing in plumed helmet with diadem, holding Victoriola (statuette of Victory) on globe in right hand and shield supported by left; reverse large K (20 nummi) between ANNO (year) on left and •I on right, cross above, TES below; extremely rare; $350.00 SALE PRICE $315.00
 


Byzantine Empire, Duchy of Chaldia, Gregorios Taronites, c. 1103 - 1106 A.D., In the Name of Alexius I Comnenus

|Trebizond|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Duchy| |of| |Chaldia,| |Gregorios| |Taronites,| |c.| |1103| |-| |1106| |A.D.,| |In| |the| |Name| |of| |Alexius| |I| |Comnenus||follis|NEW
Gregorios Taronites was made Dux of Trebizond by Alexius I after military successes against the Seljuks. He almost immediately rebelled. While the emperor sought a diplomatic solution, Taronites went so far as to publicly insult the imperial family. Captured, Alexius intended to have him blinded but he was granted clemency and instead paraded through the streets of Constantinople and then thrown into the Prison of Anemas. At first, Gregory remained obstinate and continued to hurl abuse on the emperor from his cell, but was persuaded to recant and beseech the emperor's pardon. In the end, he was not only released and pardoned, but accorded even higher honors.
BZ113701. Bronze follis, Bendall Trebizond p. 133, 13B & pl. 7, 19; DOC IV-1 p. 433, 13b; Schlumberger pl. ii, 5; Hendy -; Wroth BMC -; Ratto -, F, off center on a broad flan, dark brown and green patina, overstruck, weight 7.493 g, maximum diameter 32.1 mm, die axis 0o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, reign of Alexius I Comnenus, c. 1103 - 1106 A.D.; obverse facing bust of Christ, bearded and nimbate, wearing tunic and himation, Gospels in right hand, IC - XC (Greek abbreviation: Ihsoús Xristós - Jesus Christ) across field; reverse Latin cross on three steps, globule at end of each arm, A-Λ / B - P (Greek abbreviation: Αλεξιο Βασιλευς Ρωμαιων - Alexius king of the Romans) in angles; rare; $350.00 SALE PRICE $315.00
 


Byzantine Empire, Duchy of Chaldia, The Gabrades Dynasty, 12th Century A.D.

|Trebizond|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Duchy| |of| |Chaldia,| |The| |Gabrades| |Dynasty,| |12th| |Century| |A.D.||follis|
The general Theodore Gabras captured Trebizond and ruled it and the theme of Chaldia as a virtually autonomous state (c. 1075 - 1098). He was celebrated for his martial exploits, and was later venerated as a saint. After his death the province of Chaldia effectively became an autonomous semi-hereditary domain of the Gabrades family. Following the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the region became the center of the new Empire of Trebizond which survived until falling to the Ottomans in 1461.
BZ113692. Bronze follis, Sommer T1.2; imitative of anonymous follis of Christ, DOC III-2, class I; SBCV 1889, F, dark patina, heavy earthen deposits, off center, clipped polygonal flan (typical of Trebizond), edge crack, weight 2.454 g, maximum diameter 24.6 mm, die axis 45o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, semi-Autonomous coinage, 12th Century A.D.; obverse facing bust of Christ Pantocrator, nimbate, Gospels in left hand, IC - XC (Greek abbreviation: Ihsoús Xristós - Jesus Christ) across field; reverse Latin cross with X at center, two pellets at each extremity, floral ornaments in lower fields, crescents in upper fields; only two sales of this type listed on Coin Archives in the last two decades; extremely rare; $250.00 SALE PRICE $225.00
 


Byzantine Empire, Duchy of Chaldia, Gregorios Taronites, c. 1103 - 1106 A.D., In the Name of Alexius I Comnenus

|Trebizond|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Duchy| |of| |Chaldia,| |Gregorios| |Taronites,| |c.| |1103| |-| |1106| |A.D.,| |In| |the| |Name| |of| |Alexius| |I| |Comnenus||follis|NEW
Gregorios Taronites was made Dux of Trebizond by Alexius I after military successes against the Seljuks. He almost immediately rebelled. While the emperor sought a diplomatic solution, Taronites went so far as to publicly insult the imperial family. Captured, Alexius intended to have him blinded but he was granted clemency and instead paraded through the streets of Constantinople and then thrown into the Prison of Anemas. At first, Gregory remained obstinate and continued to hurl abuse on the emperor from his cell, but was persuaded to recant and beseech the emperor's pardon. In the end, he was not only released and pardoned, but accorded even higher honors.
BZ113702. Bronze follis, Bendall Trebizond p. 133, 13B & pl. 7, 19; DOC IV-1 p. 433, 13b; Schlumberger pl. ii, 5; Hendy -; Wroth BMC -; Ratto -, VF, uneven strike with weak areas, earthen encrusted, small clipped polygonal flan with 8 sides, weight 1.567 g, maximum diameter 19.4 mm, die axis 90o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, reign of Alexius I Comnenus, c. 1103 - 1106 A.D.; obverse facing bust of Christ, bearded and nimbate, wearing tunic and himation, Gospels in right hand, IC - XC (Greek abbreviation: Ihsoús Xristós - Jesus Christ) across field; reverse Latin cross on three steps, globule at end of each arm, A-Λ / B - P (Greek abbreviation: Αλεξιο Βασιλευς Ρωμαιων - Alexius king of the Romans) in angles; rare; $200.00 SALE PRICE $180.00
 


Bulgars in Byzantine Bulgaria(?), Anonymous Follis of Christ, Imitative of Class A3, c. 1023 - 1040 A.D.

|Bulgaria|, |Bulgars| |in| |Byzantine| |Bulgaria(?),| |Anonymous| |Follis| |of| |Christ,| |Imitative| |of| |Class| |A3,| |c.| |1023| |-| |1040| |A.D.||anonymous| |follis|
This imitative was most likely struck by an unofficial mint in unruly Byzantine Bulgaria. In 1018, the Byzantine emperor Basil II conquered the First Bulgarian Empire. The Bulgarian aristocracy were given Byzantine titles and moved to Asia. The existing tax system, laws, and the role of low-ranking nobility remained, at first, unchanged. As the Byzantine Empire declined under Basil's successors, Pecheneg invasions and rising taxes led to discontent and major uprisings. Bulgaria remained under Byzantine rule until the brothers Asen and Peter liberated the country in 1185, establishing the Second Bulgarian Empire.
CR111244. Bronze anonymous follis, See Lampinen Imitative, p. 54, for a similar Class A imitative; prototype: Basil II & Constantine VIII, 1023-1028, SBCV 1818, aVF, green patina, light earthen deposits, off center, weight 7.969 g, maximum diameter 26.3 mm, die axis 0o, unofficial (Bulgarian?) mint, c. 1023 - 1040 A.D.; obverse facing nimbate bust of Christ, pallium and colobium, Gospels in both hands, no legend or inscription; reverse retrograde Greek inscription: + IhSuS / XRISTuS / bASILEu / bASILE (Greek: Jesus Christ King of Kings); ex Morton & Eden auction 119 (6 Dec 2022), lot 333 (part of); $180.00 SALE PRICE $162.00
 


Byzantine Empire, Heraclius, 5 October 610 - 11 January 641 A.D.

|Heraclius|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Heraclius,| |5| |October| |610| |-| |11| |January| |641| |A.D.||half| |follis|NEW
Dumbarton Oaks does not list this type with IE right on the reverse. DOC II-1, pp. 349-350, no. 234 is similar but with only E right on the reverse. Philip Grierson notes it is not possible to date this class precisely. The E on the reverse is probably not a date but a meaningless immobilization of dating used in earlier reigns. It seems this type dated IE is actually earlier than the types dated E, which sometimes have a bearded portrait.
BZ113803. Bronze half follis, Morrisson BnF 10/Ct/AE/01; SBCV 873; Hahn MIB 3 234; Sommer 11.107; DOC II-1 -; Wroth BMC -; Tolstoi -; Ratto -, VF, well centered, rough green patina, edge cracks, sprue remnants, weight 6.956 g, maximum diameter 21.4 mm, die axis 90o, Carthage (near Tunis, Tunisia) mint, 611 - 612 A.D.(?); obverse D N ERA-CLIO PP AV, facing, beardless and crowned bust of Heraclius, globus cruciger in right hand; reverse large XX (20 nummi), cross above, star left, pellet in center, IE (regnal year 15?) right, KRTS in exergue; first specimen of the type handled by FORVM; rare; $180.00 SALE PRICE $162.00
 


Byzantine Empire, Duchy of Chaldia, Theodore Gabras, c. 1075 - 1098 A.D., Reign of Alexius I Comnenus

|Trebizond|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Duchy| |of| |Chaldia,| |Theodore| |Gabras,| |c.| |1075| |-| |1098| |A.D.,| |Reign| |of| |Alexius| |I| |Comnenus||follis|NEW
Theodore Gabras' crowning glory was the recapture of Trebizond from the Seljuk Turks c. 1075, which he ruled for years as if it were his own personal fiefdom. By the late 1080s, Theodore was residing at Constantinople. To keep him in check, Alexios I made Theodore Dux of Chaldia and ordered him to take up his post, leaving his eldest son Gregory at the court. By 1091, Theodore returned to the capital, demanding the return of his son. Alexios refused, claiming he was contemplating marrying the boy to one of his own daughters. Doubting the emperor, Theodore sailed with his son to Trebizond in secret. Alexios sent a squadron of ships which overtook Theodore and advised him that if he refused to hand over his son, he would be arrested as a rebel. Theodore allowed Alexios’ emissaries to take Gregory back with them, while he continued back to Trebizond. Gregory attempted to escape but was discovered and imprisoned. A man of Theodore's military talents was too good to waste, and by 1097 he was once again at the front line fighting the Turks in alliance with the Crusaders. While the Franks were engaged at the Siege of Antioch, Theodore was marching with Alexios, helping him recapture towns in western Asia Minor. In 1098 he was captured by the Danishmends and martyred. He was later venerated as a saint. His younger son Constantine Gabras succeeded him as Dux of Chaldia. Following the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the region became the center of the new Empire of Trebizond which survived until falling to the Ottomans in 1461. The feast day of Saint Theodoros Gabras is 2 October.
BZ113697. Bronze follis, Bendall Trebizond (NC 77) p. 132, 10 & pl. 6, 10; DOC IV-1 p. 431 & pl. XXV, 10; SBCV -, Hendy -, Wroth -, Ratto -, aF, rough, clipped polygonal flan with 8 sides, weight 2.521 g, maximum diameter 22.3 mm, die axis 90o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, reign of Alexius I Comnenus, c. 1075 - 1090 A.D.; obverse facing bust of St. Theodore, nimbate, wearing tunic, breast plate and sagion, sword in right hand over right shoulder, shield in left hand, / Θ-E/O/Δ (Saint Theodore) in downward columns left and right; reverse Latin cross, pellet at each end; very rare; $170.00 SALE PRICE $153.00
 


Byzantine Empire, Michael III the Drunkard, 20 January 842 - 23 September 867 A.D.

|Michael| |III|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Michael| |III| |the| |Drunkard,| |20| |January| |842| |-| |23| |September| |867| |A.D.||follis|
Michael III took an active part in the wars against the Abbasids and their vassals on the eastern frontier in 856 - 863, especially in 857 when he sent an army of 50,000 men against Umar al-Aqta, Emir of Melitene. In 859 he personally besieged Samosata, but in 860 he had to abandon his expedition to repel a Rus' attack on Constantinople. Michael was defeated by the Caliph al-Mutawakkil at Dazimon in 860, but in 863 Petronas defeated and killed the emir of Melitene at the battle of Lalakaon and celebrated a triumph in the capital.
BZ114450. Bronze follis, Anastasi 567; DOC III-1 p. 468, 12; SBCV 1697; Sommer 32.6; Wroth BMC 16; Tolstoi 17; Ratto 1847; Morrisson BnF 33/Sy/AE/1, F, earthen deposits, edge splits, sprue remnant/cut, weight 3.572 g, maximum diameter 18.6 mm, die axis 180o, Syracuse mint, sole reign, 856 - 866; obverse mIXAHL b, facing bust of Michael III, with short beard, wearing crown and loros, cross potent in right; reverse large M (40 nummi), cross above, Θ below; very scarce; $170.00 SALE PRICE $153.00
 




  



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