Constans II. 641-668. Æ Follis (30.5mm, 10.67 g, 1h). Uncertain mint in Greater Syria. Host coin: Good Fine; countermarks: Near VF.

Electronic Auction 550
Lot: 663. Estimated: $ 100

Byzantine, Bronze

Sold For $ 375. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Constans II. 641-668. Æ Follis (30.5mm, 10.67 g, 1h). Uncertain mint in Greater Syria. Crowned facing figures of Heraclius, wearing military attire, holding long cross and resting hand on hip, and Heraclius Constantine, wearing chlamys, holding globus cruciger; cross above / Large M, [cross]/C above; A/N/[N]/O - X/[X] (date) across field; B//CON; c/ms: cruciform Heraclius monogram (Sear 29; DOC G) and cruciform Constans monogram(?) (DOC H) and (Schulze & Goodwin Class 3). Wolfgang Schulze and Tony Goodwin, “Countermarking in Seventh Century Syria,” in ONS Supplement, 2005, pp. 27-28, 3; DOC 211; cf. DOC 105-6 (for host coin type); MIB Km.1; cf. MIB 164b (same); cf. SB 810 (same). Brown patina, scratches. Host coin: Good Fine; countermarks: Near VF. Very rare.

A very rare countermarked type. The host coin is a RY 20, Constantinople mint, 2nd officina follis of Heraclius and Heraclius Constantine. The host coin is itself overstruck on an earlier uncertain Constantinopolitan follis. The first countermark belongs to Heraclius, while the second, and later one, is somewhat more curious and reads K-ω-N-T. Grierson in DOC II tentatively attributed it to Constans II given the likely time period of its application. For the discussion of the issue in DOC, see DOC II.1, p. 57 and DOC II.2, p. 511. However, the issue was far more recently covered by Schulze and Goodwin in 2005. In their article, they remain more conservative in the attribution and explain that “the question is still open” (Schulze and Goodwin, 27) as to the correct reading of the monogram. The location of the countermark’s application, however, was determined to be somewhere in Greater Syria. See DOC II.1, p. 57 and DOC II.2, p. 511 for discussion.

Closing Date and Time: 15 November 2023 at 13:40:40 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.