The Byzantine Empire’s bronze Follis is one of the most historically significant and widely collected coins of the medieval world, produced continuously across centuries of Byzantine imperial history as the workhorse denomination of everyday commerce in one of antiquity’s most enduring and culturally sophisticated civilizations. These Byzantine Empire AE Follis Coins are graded About Uncirculated by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) and range in issue from 976 AD to 1035 AD. Right now, the Byzantine Empire Anonymous Issue AE Follis Coin is available at JM Bullion.

Coin Highlights:

• Arrives in a protective plastic slab!
• Anonymous issues from within the Byzantine Empire!
• Struck in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD!
• Contains a bronze alloy.
• Weights will vary.
• Issued a grade of About Uncirculated (AU) by the NGC.
• The obverse and reverse designs can vary, but often feature Christian motifs.
• Please note that we cannot guarantee the exact designs or dates on the coin you receive.

Each Byzantine Empire Anonymous Issue AE Follis Coin available here comes in About Uncirculated condition. Ancient coins with this grade retain strong original details, an impressive feat for a coin series that featured large blanks and were widely circulated throughout the empire during everyday transactions.

The Follis coins produced between 976 and 1035 AD were struck during the reigns of Basil II and Constantine VIII, a period widely regarded as the high-water mark of Byzantine imperial power and cultural achievement, when the empire’s military victories over Bulgaria and its wealthy, sophisticated capital of Constantinople made it the dominant force in the medieval Mediterranean world. Coins of this era carry the historical weight of Byzantium at its most confident and expansive.

Byzantine Follis coins of the late 10th and early 11th centuries are dominated by the magnificent facing bust of Christ Pantokrator on the obverse, his right hand raised in blessing and the Gospels held in his left in a composition of profound spiritual authority that made Byzantine coinage unique in the medieval world as currency that bore the image of Christ himself rather than merely the emperor. The reverse typically presents a facing imperial portrait or a formal inscription of the emperor’s titles in the Greek lettering of the Byzantine court. As anonymous issues, these coins may feature a combination of the aforementioned design concepts.

If you have any questions about ancient silver coins, please feel free to ask. JM Bullion customer service is available at 800-276-6508, online using our web chat, and via our email address.