Description
Focas, Byzantine Usurper Emperor succeeding the Justinian Dynasty 602-610 AD, Gold Solidus (4.50g, 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, “ON 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, mint and purity “CON OB” in exergue, legend surrounds, “VICTORIA AVÇЧ Є”. Sear-618; DOC-5. Presenting an uneven strike with flatness to right hand obverse legend and with a reverse flan flaw, otherwise very handsome in hand, good Extremely Fine, reverse less so.
The obverse Latin legend reads “Dominus Noster, Focas, Perpetuus Augustus”, with an English translaton of “Our Lord, Focas, the perpetual Augustus”. The reverse Latin legend reads “Victōria Augustōrum” followed by the 5th officina letter “Є”, with an English translation of “Victory of the Augusti”. The Latin inscription in the reverse exergue reads “Cōnstantīnopolis, obryzum”, with an English translation of “of the city of Constantinople, pure gold” – this had an implied meaning of “Minted in the city of Constantinople, 1/72 of a Roman Pound of pure gold”.
