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Denomination: Anonymous Folles, Bronze                    Date:  969-1092 CE

History:  

This coin is part of a grouping of coins called “Anonymous Folles”. These coins are so-called because they do not bear the name or mark of any particular ruler. They were issued during the period between 969 and 1092 and include purely religious images and inscriptions. 

This particular coin is especially interesting because the obverse bears a portrait of Jesus Christ. The reverse side of most of these coins has the inscription in Latin “Jesus Christ, King of Kings”.

According to sources from that period and numismatic data anonymous folles started to be struck during the period of John I. The copper coinage Byzantine Empire, between the accession to the throne of John I in 969 and the great monetary reform of Alexius I in 1092 is distinguished from that of earlier centuries in two respects. First, there is a portrait of Christ on copper coins, although it was an application preferred only on golden coins until that time. Second, they were not struck in the name of any emperor.

Description:

This class includes the first Anonymous Folles coins, introduced by John I, a devout man. The obverse of the coin depicts a facing haloed bust of Christ, who holds a book of Gospels; there are two pellets in each limb of the halo. The inscription at the top reads ЄMMANOVH (“God With Us”), while the letters IC XC (“Jesus Christ”) are spread across the field. The reverse design consists of a four-line inscription reading IҺSЧS XRISTЧS ЬASILЄЧ ЬASILЄ (“Jesus Christ King of Kings”). 

Later variations of this class include A2 and A3, both attributed to periods of reign by Basil II (bazel) and Constantine VIII. These separate classes follow the same design as the first Class A (A1), but include many ornaments on the book of Gospels, in the limbs, and surrounding inscriptions. It is unknown the purpose of the ornaments but experts believe they could be mintmarks or date markers. 

Class A coins ranged in weight from five to 14 grams and 20-30mm diameters.