Obverse: Helmeted and Cuirassed Bust of the
Emperor Facing Forward, Holding Cross
Reverse: Victory Standing Facing Holding
Labarum and Globus Cruciger
Justinian I was one of the most remarkable
individuals to grace the Imperial throne. While
serving Emperor Justin, he married the former
actress Theodora; but only after the law
prohibiting marriages between senators and
actresses was repealed. He rose rapidly in the
ranks and, in 527 A.D., was crowned Augustus
and sole emperor. His main obsession, after
religion, was jurisprudence; a talent for which
led to the codification of all valid Imperial
constitutions from Hadrian to the present. The
Codex Iustinianus was first promulgated in 529
A.D. and later revised in 534 A.D. His building,
the great church Hagia Sophia, has linked his
name with one of the most beautiful architectural
structures in the world. Justinian’s extraordinary
vitality and energy created what historians refer
to as a “Golden Age;” a legacy his successors
were unable to live up to.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This magnificent coin is a
memorial to the ancient glories of the Byzantine
Empire passed down from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation.
- (C.6564)
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