Byzantine Empire
Christ Emmanuel on an early
11th c. Byzantine follis
The coinage of the Eastern Roman - or Byzantine, as came to be known much later - Empire spans a whole millenium, is generally available, and offers many treats for the inquisitive collector. The series begins, by convention, with the lasting monetary reform of Anastasius I (498 AD) and ends together with the state itself, following the Ottoman conquest of the mid-15th century. Apparently dull, often crude, and sometimes sublime - this numismatic area nonetheless seems never to be short on Byzantine mysteries and intricacies of mints, overstrikes, hidden meaning of ecclesiastic doctrine, dynastic subtlety and more... Gone are the artistic beauty and seemingly free spirit of ancient Greece and Rome, and the coinage of the Christian Empire readily reflects that much. But it also offers an affordable glimpse into the essence, longevity and influences of this continuously evolving society that bridged the long gap between late Antiquity and the Renaissance, East and West...
Search through all listed Byzantine coins under 20 USD.