Roman Provincial coin, Licinus I

[Bob P]

The majority of the roman coins I have are Constantine 1, and there are many variants of the reverse. Have you seen any Byzantine cup coins? They can be quite spectacular. I have a few and will post some pics later.

[KurtS]

Bob, those are nice coins! The history behind these coins intrigue me, but I'll need to do far more research to make informed decisions. I got a couple initially because I trusted the seller and liked having a few this old.

The cup coins are a definite departure from the Roman style--it must be a regional influence. Very dramatic, obviously the visual impact was as important as metal weight.

[GarryN]

Here is a link to some Byzantine coins. Are the cup coins in any of these lists?

http://www.harlanjberk.com/ancientcoins/cncc2.asp?culture=Byzantine

[Bob P]

There are a couple of cup coins in the copper section. I really can't beleive the prices wanted for some of them. Some of those are in poorer condition than mine. These concave coins were called scylphates and I beleive were made during the years 1042 - 1055 AD. However, some folks have said they could be earlier or later. Usually, both sides of the coins were stamped with a figure of Christ, the Virgin or one or two saints. Here are a couple of the nicer Byzantine cup coins I have. I have preliminarily identified the small one as a Billon Aspron with a portrait of John II. The larger one is a Billon Aspron Trachy.

[GarryN]

those are really nice Bob. A much different design than the average Roman coin.