1042–1055 Byzantine Constantinople Nomisma of Constantine IX NGC Mint State

Exceptional Mint State Byzantine Portrait of Jesus

• ANCIENT HISTORY YOU CAN HOLD IN YOUR HANDS – Each coin is more than 950 years old from a time when the Byzantine Empire was in a state of flux as sisters Zoë and Theodora jockeyed for authority following the death of Michael IV. Now you can hold an actual piece of that history in your hands!
• HISTORIC SYMBOLIC DESIGNS – This coin depicts the bust of Jesus Christ raising his right hand in benediction as he holds a book of gospels in his left hand. On the obverse is an image of Constantine IX, who became emperor in 1042 upon his marriage to Empress Zoë.
• EACH COIN STRUCK BY HAND – Your Byzantine Constantinople Nomisma — the Greek word for “money” or “currency” —of Constantine IX was carefully struck by ancient artisans. Because of this, no two coins are exactly alike!
• NICE COLLECTOR GRADE CONDITION – Each coin has been certified and graded by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) as being in Mint State (MS) condition with a phenomenal Strike 5/5 and Surface 5/5.
• SEALED IN A PROTECTIVE HOLDER – Your coin has been sonically sealed in an acrylic holder.

Struck by hand, no two coins from the days of the Byzantine Empire are alike. But if they were, they’d want to look like this coin! Minted in Constantinople between 1042 and 1055, this coin features and incredibly clean bust of Christ on the obverse, raising his right hand in benediction as he holds a book of gospels in his left hand. On the obverse is an equally clear image of Constantine IX, who became emperor upon his marriage to Empress Zoë, who at the time ruled alongside her sister Theodora.

One of the first “boy toys” in history, Constantine was suave, handsome and the scion of an influential bureaucratic family. He caught the eye of Empress Zoë during a time when the empress and her sister Theodora were vying for control of the Byzantine Empire. To prevent her sister from gaining favor among the populace, Zoë sought to increase her own popularity by finding a new husband and naming him co-emperor. Constantine was tailor-made for the role and the 42-year-old groom and his 64-year-old bride were married in 1042. The match was controversial, however, and Patriarch Alexius I of Constantinople refused to officiate over what was a third marriage for each. Constantine would go on to spend extravagant sums on luxuries and magnificent buildings while neglecting the military. Historians believe his disastrous reign greatly contributed to the subsequent loss of Asia Minor to the Turks, and the ultimate fall of Constantinople to the Muslim Ottomans in 1453.

Known as a Scyphate, or cup-shaped Byzantine coin, the real story of this piece is its exceptional quality. Certified by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) in Mint State (MS) condition, it comes with a Strike 5/5 and a Surface 5/5 — a nearly unimaginable feat for a coin struck nearly 1,000 years ago!

Ripe with intrigue and history, this ancient coin is a true a masterpiece, one that’s sure to increase the pedigree of any collection it calls home.