Description
Focas, Usurper against Maurice Tiberius and Byzantine Emperor 602-610 AD, Gold Solidus (4.49g, 21mm), Constantinople mint 602-610 AD. Obverse: Draped and cuirassed bust of Phocas facing forward, wearing crown without pendilia and holding globus cruciger forward in right hand, legend surrounds, “∂N FOCAS PЄRP AVC”. Reverse: Angel central standing forward, draped and with wings spread, holding long staff surmounted by staurogram (tau-rho) in right hand and globus cruciger in left, exergual-ground line below, mintmark “CONOB” in exergue, legend surrounds, “VICTORIA AVϚЧ I”. Sear-620; DOC-10j. Struck boldly and in quite high relief on a notably fresh and very lustrous flan, very difficult to capture the beauty through a camera lens and far more impressive when viewed in hand, virtuall as struck or basically so, details near Mint State, reverse Mint State.
The Obverse Latin legend reads “Dominus Noster, Focas, Perpetuus Augustus”, translating to “Our Lord, Focas, the perpetual Augustus”. The Reverse Latin legend reads “Victōria Augustus” followed by the 10th officina letter “I”, translating to “Victory of the Augustus”.