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 Replies: 7 / Views: 2,080 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
I received these from a fellow collector and good friend of mine. Thanks Ski  I was wondering if you guys could expand a little bit on the attribution of the coins. I was interested on theories as to why the coins a scyphate? Maybe to make them stackable? Are these coins two different denominations considering the big difference in weight? Is one of the coins an error coin? If so its that much cooler. I am very new to Byzantine coinage, and I would welcome any info that you guys can provided. Are these coins different combinations of Emperors and Jesus. Coin#1  Coin#2  |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
#1 Manuel I Comnenus 1143-1180. Sear #1964, Obverse: The virgin enthroned holding baby Jesus, MP-OV . Reverse: Manuel standing facing holding labarum and globus.
#2 Manuel I Comnenus 1143-1180. Sear #1966. Obverse: Bust of Christ enthroned with stars and IC-XC. Reverse: Manuel on left with Virgin on right raising hand in blessing.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4981 Posts |
those are both awesome...o really like the bottom one, was trying to figure out what was going on there...though she was crowning (like the victory crowning reverses on the roman coins)...good stuff AN (and ski!).
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Moderator
Australia
16872 Posts |
Quote:
I was interested on theories as to why the coins a scyphate? Maybe to make them stackable? Scyphate Byzantine and related coins are scyphate because the dies used to make them were curved, not flat. The question then becomes, of course, why the dies were curved rather than flat. Was the intention to make scyphate coins, or is the curviness of the coin simply an accidental by-product of the die manufacturing process? I suspect the earliest scyphates were indeed accidents; when people found the resultant coins handled better, stacked better, or whatever, they deliberately continued the practice. Is "easier to stack" the answer? Certainly they stack better than, say, ancient Roman aureii or Crusader deniers. But they don't stack as neatly as Islamic dinars and dirhams, late Sassanian drachms or even Late Roman Bronzes. As we now know from modern coinage, stackability is maximized with a high rim, flat design and uniform sizing. 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
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5155 Posts |
Thanks guys. I was happy to receive coins of this type. I must also mention that these two pieces are better than the one I was planning on buying. Many of these coins are in poor condition, either from manufacturer or the state of preservation. I find these coins to be excellent and am happy to have them in my collection. With provenance from a popular collection. They will certainly be cherished.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
What youse guys opinions on the obverse of coin #2. It looks like a die shift or something- the flaw makes it even more interesting!
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
Because of the shape of the dies the coin was placed on an angle and struck on half a side and than repositioned and then struck on the other side. This would cause either an over lap or if not done right the image would be squeezed. I have a few that are so close together it's hard to tell the difference between the two sides.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36905 Posts |
I always learn something from you guys.
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Replies: 7 / Views: 2,080 |
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Posted 05/06/2013 9:01 pm
