Indentify this coin please

Hi, I found this coin during a house clearance in Ireland.
I hope someone in the know can help identify it

I hope this is in the correct forum.
I tried embedding .. but no luck.

Thanks in advance


img.abovetopsecret.com...


img.abovetopsecret.com...

That looks very old, is it gold?

Here ya go.

reply to post by All_Truth_Soon


ROMAION (Byzantine) EMPIRE (Remnants of the ROMAN EMPIRE) during the reign of Justinian I ?


Just a guess though

reply to post by SLAYER69


I think you made an awesome guess! I'm not very knowledgeable in old cultures, but this one made me think Byzantine for sure, though I couldn't narrow it as specifically as you have.

OP, I found this website that has coins that have many similarities to yours. I didn't see any that match exactly, but I saw elements from your coin in many of the ones on the website.

Museum Coin Exhibit

This looks familiar in that I've searched through roman coin catalogs before but can't find it. Have to get to work. Ancient Roman seems likely though.

The people figures look as though they are drawn in the Sumerian style, but if it is actually Sumerian, it's going to be worth an absolute fortune..

Will you take £5 for it?

Scratch that, just discovered Sumerians didn't use coins, they bartered.

Looks like their artwork though, maybe a nearby country then.

reply to post by MojaveBurning


Well, maybe right area possibly wrong era

Here is more info.

very similar

Linky here

reply to post by All_Truth_Soon


I can tell you one thing for certain. It was hammered from Bar Stock.

Typically this was done on ships. The bar stock was usually gold or silver.

They would heat up the bar, then pinch off a piece and give it a good smack with a stamp for the impression. That is why when you look at it, it is not round. It is irregular edged.

That would also make it several hundred years old.

EDIT:


Incidentally, getting a positive ID could be near to impossible because the stamps changed as often as underwear. The symbols and subjects will be your best bet for Identification if you are looking for a specific time frame.

As far as value, .. just as gold scrap you are looking at less than $2000. If you can get a Museum to ID it and put it on paper, .. well. ... .. multiply that by the Nth Power.

reply to post by All_Truth_Soon


You need to get this valued by a professional auction house like sotherbys but be carefull and insure it as if it is rare it may be very valuable, KEEP it safe and best of luck.

Just of note there were some coin's produced in Eira and the Irish museum may be able to help, the subject's on the coin appear to have a Christian theme especially the monarch or saint and the rear shows what may be haloed figure on the right but the left is too enigmatic.

What a cool find! I was going to throw out Justinian as a wild guess as well... I found this chart which may be helpful



Full size: files.abovetopsecret.com...


ETA: From my perusal it appears from the crown that it is an empress? Again, just a guess, but that would surely narrow down the possibilities

reply to post by All_Truth_Soon


That's the Papal Cross which is usually held by a Pope so it's from somewhere that was, at least at one time, under the Catholic church's authority perhaps.

Pope Sylvester maybe?

reply to post by Wifibrains


What is cioso rastapv (what I could read of it)

Looks like some Priest/Pope Roman style, maybe a king?

I can't think who those 2 people look like on the other side with his arms in the air

The head on your coin appears to be empress Irene. I can't find a coin exactly the same as yours with that cross but everything else looks the same. the writting doesnt match though.



www.britishmuseum.org...

Any Ideas how it ended up in Ireland...Vikings maybe ?

Originally posted by Wifibrains
The head on your coin appears to be empress Irene. I can't find a coin exactly the same as yours with that cross but everything else looks the same.


www.britishmuseum.org...

Awesome find. That looks just like her but... Pope Leo pissed her off by not recognizing her reign and crowing another. Do you think placing the Papal Staff in her hand might have been an act of angst against the pope then?

What a weird coin.

Look here too, exact copy of your coin only this one is silver, empress Theodora....



voluntaryistreader.wordpress.com...


Or browse here, they got thousands. www.wildwinds.com...

reply to post by MojaveBurning
Mojave, I too thought Byzantine and I found this set on Ebay.... Byzantine Coins. I think the bottom right coin contains similar text on the right side as the OP's coin. I do not know much more about OP's but the drawing of the King figure really screamed Byzantine to me.

It also leads me to believe that the OP's coin will be a bronze, too.

reply to post by All_Truth_Soon


Really great find. Whether it ends up being worth anything or not, it is certainly cool. Looks like the mystery will soon be solved at the very least.

reply to post by Wifibrains

Good Find....3 gold stars for you my friend.

"valar morghulis"