Byzantine Coins and Their Values: Coins Listed 2250

by David R. Sear, Simon Bendall, Michael O'Hara

The Byzantine Empire lasted for almost a thousand years after the fall of the Roma Empire in the West. The period covered by this catalogue is from the reign of Anastasius I (491-518) until the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. When this catalogue was first published in 1974 it was hailed as containing more information in a concise form than any other single volume on the Byzantine series. This new edition incorporates the research of the intervening years, new attributions and new coins that have been recognized. The later Palaeologan period has been completely revised by Simon Bendall, a noted authority on the period. Michael Dennis O’Hara has contributed a detailed Appendix on the gold forgeries of the ‘Beirut’ and allied schools that have caused collectors some concern. Over two and a quarter thousand coins in gold, silver and bronze are listed, valued and illustrated with more than 600 photographs, giving a virtual type catalogue of the Byzantine series. The Introduction discusses the types, mints, denominations, dates and inscriptions found on Byzantine coins and includes seven maps and a table of monograms.

Genres: Numismatics

536 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Byzantine coins are notoriously hard to identify, but this Sear volume is probably the best one-volume resource on the market. It gives a good range of all of the denominations, as well as line drawings of the more difficult ones to decipher. This is essential since the coins after Justin II are crude and very hard to read. The folles are the best type to collect, even though the size was dramatically reduced after Justinian.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent compendium of Byzantine coins and their values (if a little dated). Most of the coins are illustrated too.

[Salvatore Familia]

The Byzantine Empire lasted for almost a thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West. The period covered by this catalogue is from the reign of Anastasius I (491518) until the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. When this catalogue was first published in 1974 it was hailed as containing more information in a concise form than any other single volume on the Byzantine series.