303, Lot: 437. Estimate $100. Sold for $70. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee. |
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Justin I & Justinian I. 527. Æ Follis (29mm, 14.71 g, 7h). Nicomedia mint, 1st officina. Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Justin right / Large M; cross above, star and cross flanking; A//NIKM. DOC 12; MIBE 7; SB 127. Fine, red-brown patina, rough in areas. Scarce.
From the Bramhall Collection.
Justin was an illiterate peasant from Thrace who had acquired the throne through his natural strengths and cunning, but he understood the value of education, especially for his relatives. His nephew Peter was sent to Constantinople, and when his uncle became emperor, Peter was re-christened Justinian and became his trusted advisor. When Justin's health began to fail early in 527, Justinian was readily accepted as co-emperor and the transition of power was uneventful.