The gold solidi produced during the joint reign of Heraclius and his son Heraclius Constantine underwent significant iconographic evolution, particularly during the desperate years of Persian wars and the later Arab invasions. These coins increasingly featured religious imagery, especially crosses and Christian symbols, reflecting the empire’s growing identification as a specifically Christian state facing existential threats from foreign powers. Today, ancient gold coins from the Byzantine Empire AV Solidus are available from JM Bullion.

Coin Highlights:

• Comes with a protective plastic slab!
• Issued by the Byzantine Empire in the early 7th century AD!
• Features dual portraits from the co-reign of Heraclius and her son Heraclius Constantine!
• 4/5 strike!
• 4/5 surface!
• Choice About Uncirculated!
• Contains 4.43 grams (.1424 troy oz) of actual gold content.
• The obverse features busts of Heraclius and Heraclius Constantine.
• On the reverse is the Cross Potent on an altar.
• Please keep in mind that the exact appearance of each coin (shape, condition, wear, etc.) can vary from one piece to the next.

The Byzantine Empire during the co-reign of Heraclius and Heraclius Constantine (613-641 AD) experienced perhaps the most dramatic reversals of fortune in late ancient history, witnessing both the greatest military triumph and the beginning of catastrophic losses.

This Byzantine Empire Heraclius-Heraclius Constantine AV Solidus Coin is a Choice About Uncirculated coin. The coin features rich yellow-gold coloring with a satiny luster. The piece also features a high-relief strike with a beaded border. The 4/5 grades for both the strike and surface indicate a quality design strike and centering, with above-average visual quality and surface luster for its age.

The obverse of the Byzantine Empire AV Solidus Coin features front-facing imperial portraits of Heraclius and her son, Heraclius Constantine. The reverse features the popular Cross Potent design, a depiction of the Christian cross on a stepped altar. Heraclius’s brilliant campaigns against Sasanian Persia between 622-628 AD recovered lost territories and retrieved the True Cross from Persian captivity, only for the exhausted empire to face the sudden eruption of Arab Muslim armies from the south. By the time of Heraclius’s death in 641, the empire had lost Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and was fighting desperately to preserve Anatolia, transforming the Roman Mediterranean superpower into a Greek-speaking medieval kingdom focused on survival.

Please contact JM Bullion with any questions when you buy ancient gold coins. You can call us at 800-276-6508, chat with us online, or email us directly.