Bidspirit auction | Anastasius I - Follis of

Anastasius I - Follis of 40 (M) nummi - Constantinople mint. Circa 5th Century AD - Collectors of bronze coins see a distinct line between what is Roman and what is Byzantine. This line was the introduction of a completely different bronze coinage by the numismatic 'First Byzantine Emperor' Anastasius (491-518 AD). The coinage reform of 498 AD ended the production of huge quantities of tiny bronze coins which had declined from the large, impressive issues of Diocletian to tiny scraps of metal hardly recognizable as coins. Anastasius' new system centered on a 'follis' worth 40 of the old, tiny coins. To make sure that there was no doubt of the value of the new coins, the value was spelled out with a huge Greek numeral M=40. These denominationally marked bronzes were the standard of the Byzantine world for nearly three centuries. Please refer to the images for the best determination of the condition of this coin.