I am having problems with the ID of this coin. Any help would be most appreciated. It is 8mm diameter, 3mm thick, 4g weight. Appears to be a wine pitcher on one side, but I am probably looking at it upside down!
It's Byzantine. The bottom pic is the reverse, and is right way up. The large "i" in the centre is the Greek number 10, making the denomination a quarter-follis or decanummium (10 nummia). The obverse is therefore going to be a portrait of the emperor, though I can't even tell which way is up in that pic.
Though the mintmark is also unreadable, it does have a date, ANN XII (Year 12), which narrows down the options a bit. Best fit for this and for the tiny size seems to be emperor Heraclius, Catania (Sicily) mint. This example from Wildwinds is dated Year 13 rather than Year 12, but is of similar type. For Heraclius, Year 12 equates to 621/622 AD.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
Many thanks for the information Sap. See, I was looking at it upside down ! The portrait is too worn down to see any details. It honestly looks just like the picture - very blurred.
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use