Byzantine coins

This page: Byzantine, Medieval, and Arabic coins for sale

Go to: Newest (of all types), Byzantine in chronological order,
Turkoman figural bronze, Crusader, and Medieval.
Byzantine coins from the Cherson mint.
Late Byzantine. World coins.

TERMS: Prices are in brackets: [$xx]. I accept PayPal and Zelle (I prefer Zelle in the US. Here is why) and checks and cash. Postage in the US is $2 for orders up to $25, $3 for orders up to $50, $4 for orders up to $100, and an additional $2 for each hundred thereafter.
Usually I don't ship to other countries because shipping is too expensive ($20 or $25). More-detailed terms of sale are here.
After I confirm by e-mail that I still have the coin, you can pay by logging into your account and sending Zelle or PayPal payment to my e-mail address.
To order, or to ask any questions, e-mail me, Warren, at: e-mail

Purple marks items that have sold and are no longer available.

Most are in chronological order (Exceptions are the new ones at the top). Skip down to
Anastasius, Justin, Justinian, Vandal and Ostrogothic, Justin II, Maurice, Heraclius, Constans II, Constantine IV, late Byzantine (anonymous and later), Cherson Mint coins

Most recent: 2024, July 21: Turoman figural bronze not in S&S.
2024, July 17: Alexius III
2024, July 16: Isaac II.
2024, July 15: John III of Nicaea
2024, July 13: Anonymous follis of Class H. Anonymous follis of Class I.
2024, July 12: Turkoman figural bronze, Begteginid. Romanus IV, 1068-1071, who lost the famous Battle of Manzikert
2024, June 13: Four coins of the First Crusade. (June 14: removed many sold coins entirely)
2024, June 8: Class A2 rare spelling variant. Turkoman S&S 46.
2024, June 2: Crusader of the First Crusade.
2024, May 31: Maurice, at the top.
2024, May 27: On this page I reduced many prices.
2024, May 25: Two rare Turkoman figural bronzes and two crusaders of the First Crusade (Tancred).
2024, May 20: Four Byzantine coins.

Recent:

Turkoman figural bronze
21 mm. 3.86 grams.
Salduqid (at Erzurum)
Muhammad b. Salduq
(Nāṣir al-Dīn, Qizil Arslān)

AH 563-587. AD 1168-1191

Mounted archer shooting arrow at animal behind
3-line legend in circle, legend around

A mounted archer riding left, shooting back an arrow behind him at a small animal, probably a gazelle, an angel above the bow

Reverse inscription: nasir al-din kiz / il arslan muhammad / ibn salduq
“Defender of the Faith, Kizil Arslan, Muhammad ibn Salduq”
Inscription around from 2:00: al-sultan al-mu‘azzam tughrul ibn arslan
“The Mighty Sultan Tughrul ibn Arslan”

C R
P Δ

The coin has the same facing bust of Christ found on anonymous folles (but with both IC XC and NI KA on the obverse), but the reverse has
C R ["C" is a lunate "S". "R" is an epigraphical form of "B"] ΣΤAYΡЄ BOHΘЄI "O Cross, help"
P Δ in the quadrants of a cross (with an X at the center) for
"Romanus Despot/emperor" RΩMANΩ ΔЄCΠOTH

"O cross help Romanus emperor" or
"May the cross help Romanus, emperor"
Some facial details. Very good reverse lettering. [$39 SOLD] I don't know why examples this nice cost so much on vcoins.

Turkoman figural bronze.
30 mm. Large. 10.08 grams.
SSS Begteginid 1. (Not in Spengler and Sayles which did not cover the Begteginids)
Muzaffar al-Din Kokburi [Gokburi, Gokbori]
AH 563-630. AD 1168-1233
(coins struck in 1193-1233)
Enthroned facing Turkish figure, legend around:
Muzaffar al-Dawla wa 'l-Din Kokburi ibn Ali
3-line legend in square:
al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Dunya wa 'l-Din Yusuf
Legend continues outside the square.
ibn Ayyub Muhyi Dawlat Amir al-Mu'minin.
["ibn Ayyub" is Saladin].
Muhyi Dawlat Amir al-Mu'minin means "the reviver of the dynasty/state of the commander of the faithful."

Four coins of the First Crusade.

Tancred, regent at Antioch, 1101-1112.
22 mm. 3.37 grams.
Obverse: Bust of St. Peter facing, nimbate, with scroll in left and diagonal long cross in right.
Θ/ΠЄ to left and POC down the right (Identifying St. Peter)
Reverse: Legend in four lines:
KЄBOI
ΘHTOΔV
ΛOCOVT (His name begins here: T-ANKRI[D])
ANKRI+
"Oh Lord come to the aid of thy servant Tancred"
CCS Antioch 3 (page 199) Tancred's first type of four.
Metcalf 49-62. Also page 25, type 6.
On this example his curly beard is evident. Tancred's first type fo four. [$24]

Tancred, regent at Antioch, 1101-1112.
22 mm. 3.67 grams.
His second type of four.
Bearded facing bust of Tancred, holding raised sword in his right hand. This is the only type of the First Crusade with a "portrait" of the ruler. The three other types of Tancred don't and none of the other rulers have portrait types.
This type has lettering around which includes his name at the end (3:00-4:30). Most coins of this type do not a have a legible obverse legend. This one is more legible than most and says something like
+KЄBOH ... IAΩA TANKP "Lord, help Tancred"
The reverse has:
IC XC
NI KA in quadrants of a cross, floral ornament at base.
Abbreviating "Jesus Christ Conquers".
This is a very common reverse legend and type on Byzantine coins, including the anonymous folles of "Class C".
CCS Antioch 4 (page 199)
Metcalf 63-70. Also, page 25, type 4.
The only early crusader portrait type. Better obverse legend than usual. [$39 SOLD]

Tancred, regent at Antioch, 1101-1112.
21 mm. 2.68 grams.
His third type of four.
Facing bust of Christ, IC XC either side, very much like many Byzantine anonymous folles.
Cross with
TA NK
P H in its quadrants, for "Tancre[d]"
floral ornament at base.
Metcalf 49-62. Also p. 25, type 6.
CCS Antioch 5 (page 199f).
Better struck than most. [$49]

Roger of Salerno, Regent at Antioch, 1112-1119.
25-22 mm. 3.52 grams.
Virgin Mary standing orans (with arms outspread in blessing)
5-line inscription:
KЄBOH
ΘЄITωCω
ΔOVλωP [The final letter is rho beginning the name of Roger]
OTSЄPI [We use "G" where the coin has "TS"]
ω+
"Lord help your servant Roger"
CCS Antioch 8. Roger's second type.
Metcalf 92-94, Antioch type 8.
I've yet to see a nice one of these. The Virgin is better struck than most, but he reverse is ill-struck like all the others! [$19]

Maurice, 582-602
19-17 mm. 2.81 grams.
Sear 536
Antioch mint
Year 5
Holding mappa and eagle-tipped scepter.
Nice. [$17 SOLD]

Justinian, 527-565
25 mm. 7.82 grams.
K
* above and below, Δ to right.
Sear 164.

Legend pretty good. Slightly larger than a quarter. [$19, reduced to $17]

Turkoman Figural Bronze:

Turkoman figural bronze
Artuqid
Najm al-Din Alpi
1152-117631-30 mm. 11.41 grams. Large.
Facing head with curly hair
Two facing heads (Gemini) with wild hair
Spengler and Sayles 30
Excellent flan. Well-centered. Legend fully clear.
[$69, reduced to $63]

This coin is better than this one offered at 285 euros (as I write)!
https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/cgb/38/product/artuqids_of_mardin__najm_aldin_alpi_turkestan_c_11641170_31mm_1242g_9h/1947292/Default.aspx

Mamluk coins. Small figural types. Please search for these on vcoins. You will find they are unusual.

Mamluk
19 mm. 2.89 grams.
al-Sali Salah al-Din Salih
AH 752-755. AD 1351-1354
Bird right, head turned back
Legend
[$16, reduced to $12]

Byzantine: Many Byzantine coins below in chronological order, after some literature.

Justinian 1-nummis, small, 9 mm. 0.84 grams. AE nummis.
Chi-rho reverse. Close to the end of this denomination.
Sear 283
Rare, Carthage mint.
Remarkably good detail and even some obverse legend, which is not common.
Cute! [$79, reduced to $49]

Justinian, 527-565
9 mm. Very small.
Bust right
VOT
XIII (very late for a vota coin)
Sear 278 from Carthage, year 13
This one is clear "for type" [$39, reduced to $27]

Vandals and Ostrogoths, time of Justinian

Free! An up-to-date reference for many of the small Vandalic AR4's is Bijovsky, INR6.3 "From Carthage to the Holy Land: The ‘Palm Tree’ Nummus" which you can get for free on Academia.edu or ask me for it gratis via e-mail (It is 1.7 mb).

Vandal
King Gelimer, 530-534
Tiny! 8.8 mm. 0.58 grams.
Wroth WPBC plate II. 21.
Rare. Lousy, like usual. [$39, reduced to $29]
(Better than the only one on vcoins, at $70, as I write.)

Justin II and Sophia, 565-578

Justin II, 565-578
1.75 grams. 15.6 - 13 mm.
Pentanummia
Complicated monogram
Epsilon (for 5) Γ
Sear 363 from Constantinople (we can tell by the officina number)
[$17, reduced to $14] I bought this in 2004 for $17. (Not a good dollar investment!)
I hope you don't think ancient coins are a monetary investment. They are an investment in your mind and pleasure, not your wallet!

Tiberius II, 578-582

Tiberius II, 578-582
pentanummium
Small. 13 mm. 1.43 grams.
Theoupolis (Antioch).
Monogram of Tiberius II Constantine.
Large U; above, cross.
Sear 459. (65 pounds in VF) [$55]

Maurice, 582-602

Maurice, 582-602
10 nummia.
18-16 mm. 2.63 grams.
ar Antioch
Year 8 (589/90)
Sear 536
Bought in 2006 from Glen Woods at the Summer ANA in Denver for $25 (plus a lot of trip expenses!) with his ticket (for $40)
Pretty little wear. Good details. [$30, reduced to $24]

A rarity: A pentanummus of Maurice not in Sear.

Maurice, 582-602
Small. Pentanummium. 15 mm. 1.44 grams.
Not in Sear
Monogram much like his monogram 16 on page 32, but quite different at the right end where what is a "K" on 16 is a and E or square C (lunate S) with bits of the K or maybe E.
Є+ on the reverse.
Unlisted in Sear. cf. Sear 540 which is different.
MIBEC Maurice V105 where the monogram is not as clear as this one. ("V" numbers were not known in time for the first edition.)
Maybe it would be Sear 542A in a new edition, were one to appear (It won't).
Theoupolis (Antioch). Rev. Large Є with cross. SB 540 var (monogram, Ч) . Good fine.
Very rare. [$59]

Maurice, 582-602
22-20 mm. 6.20 grams.
K year X
TES
Thessalonica mint, which is less common
Sear 509
Nice light colored cover [$29, reduced to $25 SOLD]

Maurice, 882-602
Theoupolis (Antioch) Decanummium Æ
18mm, 2.8 g.
Crowned facing bust, holding mappa in right and eagle-tipped scepter in left hand / Large X; cross above, R below; ANNO II across field.
Cute! Lettering very clear with lovely light cover.
Sear 536 [$19, reduced to $17]

Maurice, 582-602
at Antioch
22-20 mm. 5.27 grams.
Sear 535
Interesting date with 16 written "UIX"
When the numeral system is additive, you don't need to put the units after the tens.
The P-like symbol below is a mintmark for Theopolis = Antioch.
Lovely light cover. A nice coin. [$20, reduced to $18 SOLD]

Maurice, 582-602
27-25 mm. Struck year 15 = 596/7
at Nicomedia
Sear 512, page 123.
ex Wolf at Chicago ANA, August 15, 2013. No ticket
Clear reverse. [$17, reduced to $15] with my collection ticket.

Maurice, 582-602
20-nummia
Good bust with mappa and eagle-tipped scepter
Sear 534. DO 178
ANNO XX U
Year U = 5, struck 586/7.
Good facial details. [$19, reduced to $12]

Phocas, 602-610

Phocas, with Leontia AD 602-610.
Dated RY 5 (AD 606/7).
Theoupolis (Antioch)
Decanummium Æ (15mm, 2.2 g)
Phocas and Leontia standing facing, holding globus cruciger and cruciform scepter, respectively; cross above
Large X; cross above, date across field, rho below.
Small for the denomination. This is the size of some 5-nummis coins.
Sear 675. Cute! [$23 reduced to $17]

Heraclius, 610-614

Constans II, 641-668

Constans II, 641-668
20-17 mm. 3.98 grams.
Facing bust
Three busts above a small M. (The left two busts are almost gone.)
Ex James Lovette in 2006.
With his ticket, I think from Dan Clark's ancient coins, which notes he bought it in Feb. 1980.
Sear 1014. DOC 89 page 459f struck "666-668"
[$17, reduced to $8] Compare to the $85 and $95 examples on vcoins.

Constans II, 641-668
Struck 652/3
29-24 mm (Pretty large for the era). 4.89 grams.
Emperor standing facing, I A to right (indiction year 11, which dates the coin)
M over SCL for the mint in Sicily at Syracuse.
Overstruck. At 5:00 on the reverse part of SB1107 (DOC 178) is visible.
You can see below the M the chest part of a facing bust.
Why would they overstrike a coin of the same ruler? I don't know, but they did.
ex James Lovette in 2006. Ex Joseph Lepczyk 40 (June 1981), lot 269, with his ticket for $27.50.
An interesting overstrike [$39, reduced to $21]

Constantine IV, 668-685

Constantine IV, 668-695
Ragged 24-22 mm. 3.65 grams.
No legend. Bust facing, beardless, holding globus cruciger
M with monogram above and standing figures with long crosses on either side.
SCL in exergue for Sicily and its mint, Syracuse.
Sear 1207. Hahn III MIB 104
[$59, reduced to $35]

Justinian II, first reign, 685-695

Constantine V, 741-775

Constantine V and Leo IV, 741-775
17 mm. Small.
Two facing busts, Constantine and Leo IV
Facing bust of Leo III on the reverse.
Sear 1569. Please compare this one to his plate coin.

[$35, reduced to $27]

Leo V, 813-820

Leo V, 813-820
20 mm. 5.40 grams.
Sear 1635. Lambda for Leo and K for Constantine.
[$22, reduced to $12]

Coins from Byzantine Cherson, a scarce mint:

Romanus I, 920-944
(Romanus II, according to Sear, but I follow Anokhin, #419)
18 mm. 3.35 grams.
Monogram of Romanus, Cross on steps with pellets either side
Sear 1775 Mint of Cherson
Sometimes the "P" in the monogram is retrograde. This one is normal.
Even dark color, nearly black. Bold monogram. [$79, reduced to $59]

Michael II, 820-829

[SOLD]

Theophilus, 829-842

[Sold, except for one rarity from the Cherson mint, above]

Basil I, 867-886

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Leo VI, 886-912

Constantine VII, 913-959

Anonymous folles and later,

Anonymous follis, Class I
Attributed to Nicephorus III, 1078-1081
23-21 mm. 3.87 grams.
Bought from Dan Clark, Clark's Ancient Coins, Nov. 27, 2005
at $29.
Reddish surfaces. Nice cross on the reverse.
Sear 1889. Now, here, [$25, reduced to $21]

Anonymous follis, Class H
with patriarchal cross (two crossbars)
with large pellets at the ends
Attributed to Michael VII, 1071-1078.
One of the scarcest anonymous follis classes.
Sear 1880
Surfaces not great. Rarely (never?) comes nice.
[$19, reduced to $15]

Constantine X, Ducas, 1059-1067

Nicephorus III Botaniates, AD 1078-1081

Nicephorus III Botaniates, AD 1078-1081
Æ Follis. (22mm, 7.4 g) Constantinople mint. Three-quarter length standing figure of Christ Pantokrator facing between two stars; IC-XC across upper fields Cross with pellets at extremities and eight-pointed star within circle at centre;
C - Φ N - Δ in angles.
Sear 1888 [$24, reduced to $19]
C Φ (The "C" is a lunate "S" (sigma)) ΣΤAYΡЄ ΦΥΛATTЄ "O Cross, Protect"
N Δ (Sear 1888) "Nicephorus [III] Despot/emperor" NIKHΦωPON ΔЄCΠOTH

Alexius I, 1081-1118

John II, 1118-1143

Manuel I, 1143-1180

Isaac II, 1185-1195

Alexius II, 1195-1203

Michael VIII, 1261-1282

Andronicus II, 1282-1328

Andronicus III, 1328-1341

Arabic and Arab-Byzantine

Arabic/Islamic coins.

Kashmir Smast
18 mm. 4.65 grams,
Shiva and bull/Brahmi akkharas "300-400 AD"
north of Pakistan from the Kashmir Smast
Mitchner ACW 3666 "Kidarite prinicpality of the Kota Kala in the Punjab"
"c. 360/380-460"
Mitchner listed it as worth 45 pounds in 1978.
High grade. [$55, reduced to $25]

Nasir al-din Muhammad, 1249-1260
Jital. 16-15 mm. 3.50 grams.
ibn Hasan Qarlagh, Shah of Kurraman (NE Pakistan)
stylized horse right
Mitchner WoI 951
Remarkably nice horse depicted in just a few strokes [$39, reduced to $27]
ex. Jim Lovette (author of Biblical Related Coins) in 2007

Moghal (Mughal) Empire of India
20 mm in diameter and very thick at 7 mm. 20.10 grams.
1 dam (denomination)
Akbar mint
A very thick and chunky coin! [$49, reduced to $26, reduced to $15 SOLD plus $6 shipping (it is too thick for a letter and must be sent in a "small parcel.")]
ex. Jim Lovette (author of Biblical Related Coins) in 2007

Arab-Byzantine all sold

Medieval

Coins from Medieval Hungary:

Medieval Hungary. Anonymous. 12th C. 1141-1161
Tiny! Silver 12 mm. 0.33 grams.
The denomination is called a "denar"" It is sometimes called a "penny."
Cross and crescents/cross in circles
Huszar 92. Rethy-Probszt 88, plate V group V p. 57, between 1141 and 1161.
Small, well-struck, and cute. [$33, reduced to $27]

Medieval Hungary. Stephan II. 1114-1131
Tiny! Silver. 11 mm. 0.33 grams.
The denomination is called a "denar"" It is sometimes called a "penny."
Rethy-Probszt 66, plate V, Stephan II 1114-1131
Excellent centering on a small silver coin [$31, reduced to $26]

Medieval Hungary. Anonymous.
Tiny! 13 mm. Silver. 0.33 grams.
The denomination is called a "denar"" It is sometimes called a "penny."
Time of Beles III, Emmerichs, and Andreas II" c. 1173-1235
according to Rethy-Probszt X-146 group D, plate IX page 64 and page 62.
Wonderful multiple crosses. Very well struck and centered. Rare. Have you ever seen a coin with this many crosses? [$79, reduced to $49]

World Coins

Bundi, Indian Princely State, 1 Paisa, 1872 (not ancient)
VICTORI
17-16 mm and very thick at 6 mm. 17.42 grams.

Odd-shaped coin! [$9, reduced to $4 SOLD + $6 shipping in the US--it is too thick for a normal envelope.]

Go to the main page of ancienthttps://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/marc_breitsprecher_classical_numismatist/8/product/begteginids_muzaffar_al_din_kukburi_ah_563631__ad_11681233_198_dirham/1910538/Default.aspx coins for sale.

Augustus Coins: Roman coins, Greek coins, Byzantine coins, and other ancient coins for sale