November 1999 Coin of the Month


 

ANOTHER NEW DISCOVERY?  This semissis of Heraclius was found in a large mail bid auction and was almost totally overlooked by myself and all others participating in the auction. (I paid around $200.00 for the coin!)  The difference of this coin, versus the normal type, is that the Cross Potent on the reverse has a base.  Also notice the small diameter of the obverse die, which looks like a tremissis die was used to strike this issue.  I have researched this coin in all the major references and auction catalogs and found only one other like it in the Bibliotheque Nationale Catalogue Des Monnaies Byzantines - number 81.  Cecile Morrison's only reference was that the Cross was detached from the Globus, ignoring the base.  The image of that coin also shows it to have a small diameter obverse die used.  Is this another type or simply a die cutters error?  Since my coin and the other one described above are from different dies, I must state that it is a different type.  Through my research, this type of reverse die is not used with any other emperor's production of Semissis's, and therefore, can be associated only with Heraclius.  I would love to know if anyone else has seen similar coins.