An very rare solidus of Constantine VII and his mother Zoe (914-919)..  Another classic rarity for Byzantine gold coins, this one due though to the massive transition that occurred throughout Constantine VII's reign (913 - 959).  He was a child when elevated to the throne and was governed by Regents that included his mother, father in-law and his three natural sons.  At one point of the reign, there was coinage that totally ignored Constantine VII.  Because of this situation, there are several rare pieces during what should be a fairly common issue due to the length of his reign.  This piece is the Hunt piece (lot 696) and is one of the finest known (good very fine) and it weighs 4.38g.

February 1999 Imitative Piece of the Month
 

An extremely rare contemporary imitative piece of Marcian.  This is the beginning of western imitative pieces (450-457), which become much more prevalent in the 6th and 7th centuries.  The piece has a quality of fine engraving, but the lettering and images are of a barbaric fabric.  This piece weighs 4.41g.