Arab-Byzantine Coin Imitating Cyprus Follis?

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,081
DagonX Valued Member Poland 392 Posts	Posted 10/27/2022 12:55 pm Hello! I received recently a small follis. When I was buying it I thought it's just a Heraclius follis, probably from Constantinopole. Now, I'm not so sure about that because of the strange "M" on the reverse. I know almost nothing about arab-byzantine coinage but is it an imitation of Cyprus follis? And second question, is there a countermark on the obverse or is it just my imagination? I've done my best with the photos, I'm not able to do anything better. I don't know is it helpful but coin has about 18,3-26,5 mm and 3,5 g. Thanks for help! Report this Post to the Staff

Kushanshah Pillar of the Community United States 1554 Posts	Posted 10/29/2022 6:47 pm Yes, year 17 Cyprus mint coins of Heraclius are a common prototype for Arab pseudo-Byzantine coins struck in Syria. I do think I see a countermark. Your coin appears to be struck on a piece cut from a larger coin. This is not unusual. It may be that the countermark belongs to the undertype. I'm afraid 7th-century countermarks are not my strong suit but there has been some work published in recent years. Edited by Kushanshah 10/29/2022 6:48 pm Report this Post to the Staff
DagonX Valued Member Poland 392 Posts	Posted 10/30/2022 08:30 am Yeah, maybe the place when I think might be a countermark is just a result of poor minting quality or re-use of some older coin. Anyway, thanks! :) Report this Post to the Staff
Kushanshah Pillar of the Community United States 1554 Posts	Posted 10/30/2022 12:09 pm To clarify, I think it's a countermark but it may have been applied before the original coin was cut and restruck. Based on the little I know, it belongs to a slightly earlier period. Report this Post to the Staff
DagonX Valued Member Poland 392 Posts	Posted 10/31/2022 5:14 pm This is getting more and more fascinating, thanks for your opinion! Report this Post to the Staff
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