Justinian I, Copper, Nummus, Rome?, 540-565
Obverse
Frontal bust of Justinian I. No inscription.
Reverse
CN within wreath.
Obverse
Frontal bust of Justinian I. No inscription.
Reverse
CN within wreath.
| Accession number | BZC.2008.006 |
|---|---|
| Ruler | Justinian I |
| Date of Reign | 527–565 |
| Metal | Copper |
| Denomination | Nummus |
| Mint | Rome? |
| Date | 540 – 565 |
| Diameter | 10.0 mm |
| Weight | 0.78 g |
| Relation of Dies | 12:00 |
| Shape | Flat |
Acquisition History
Purchased from A. H. Baldwin’s stock, 2008
Commentary
Hahn (MIB 3:53) proposed to move this coin (MIB 1:127, no. 212) and no. 213 (reclined Δ), to the reign of Justin II, referring to his article in the Numismatic Chronicle (“A Sixth-Century Hoard of Byzantine Small Change from Egypt, and its Contribution to the Classification of African Minimi,” 70, note for 224–26) where he invokes “typological clues” to “reduce the gap in the Carthaginian minimi between Justinian I and Maurice.”
These arguments leave me (Cécile Morrisson) unconvinced all the more since it has been proven by hoard evidence that the palm tree nummi attributed by Hahn to Maurice on a typological basis belong to Gelimer or the early reign of Justinian I. I prefer a tentative attribution of this coin to Rome.
MIB 1:3, 68, 127, no. 212, plate 32.
D. R. Sear, Byzantine Coins and Their Values, no. 283C.