Help Id'ing Movie Coin - Reverse Byzantine Follis - Obverse Greek?

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 868
Mach New Member United States 3 Posts	Posted 03/13/2022 11:40 am Thank you for any ideas or insights. This coin appears in the 2005 movie, Constantine. Apparently a series of these were made for the movie and in collector's hands. If nothing else, this ID may help someone know what they've got if they stumble across one. The reverse side appears to be a Byzantine Follis possibly Justinian with YR 10 or X. The obverse side is the puzzler. This is the clearest photo of the front side half obscured by a finger. It appears to have two circles of text. The text looks Greek. The outer circle reads " :Greek_Iota: :Greek_Eta: :Greek_Tau: :Greek_Lambda: :Greek_epsilon: R" The inner circle looks like ancient greek characters spaced by dots. Does this resemble any known ancient coin that may have inspired the prop maker? Report this Post to the Staff

Sap Moderator Australia 16816 Posts	Posted 03/13/2022 9:29 pm We have a member, willieboyd2, whose specialized interests include studying the coins and coin-like objects spotted in movies. I don't remember this particular movie featuring in discussions before, and his website index of 212 movies with coins in them doesn't include this movie. As for your specific question, it doesn't resemble Byzantine coinage of the same time period as the reverse; my first instinct was a much later post-Crusader Byzantine period, when coinage artwork was generally cruder; something like these coins of Manuel II. 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 Report this Post to the Staff
Mach New Member United States 3 Posts	Posted 03/13/2022 10:42 pm Thanks Sap, I reviewed Manuel II's coins and I think you are on to something but slightly later with his sons. I'm thinking that the prop artist based his design on John VII or Constantine XI coins. The main character's name in the movie is John Constantine. The naming is too coincidental and the nested circles are consistent with the designs. The lettering seems odd though. https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/byz..._VIII/t.html https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/byz...ne_XI/i.html I made contact with willieboyd2 via his website. Although his listing doesn't currently list this movie. Thanks again for the help. Edited by Mach 03/14/2022 01:30 am Report this Post to the Staff
january1may Pillar of the Community Russian Federation 5172 Posts	Posted 03/14/2022 01:40 am reminiscent of John VIII's silver coinage (I've seen an example on CCF a few years ago; EDIT: here it is). I wasn't sure what Constantine XI's coins looked like (they are all extremely rare), but now that I've looked it up they're an even better match. Not necessarily saying it's specifically that, but could be... Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 188052 Posts	Posted 03/14/2022 12:19 pm to the Community! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
Mach New Member United States 3 Posts	Posted 03/14/2022 3:15 pm Thanks january1may, I'm inclined to believe that's the inspiration. I've gone back through each emperor's coins trying to match the inscription. Nothing so far. Thank you JBuck for the welcome! Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 868

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: Ancient, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Coins

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

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

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.23 seconds to rattle this change.