| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 252 | Silver | Auction date: 26 January 2025 |
| Lot number: 272 Price realized: 1,000 EUR (Approx. 1,040 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Theophilus, with Constantine and Michael II AD 829-842. Constantinople Solidus AV 20 mm, 4,34 g ✱ ΘЄOFILOS bASILЄ Θ, crowned facing bust of Theophilus, wearing chlamys, holding patriarchal cross and akakia / +MIXAHL S COҺSTAҺTIҺ', crowned facing busts of Michael and Constantine, each wearing chlamys; cross above. Very Fine DOC 3d; Füeg 3.H.2.y; Sear 1653. Theophilos was Byzantine Emperor from 829 to 842, known for his opposition to icon worship. Issuing a strict ban on icon veneration in 832, reports of harsh measures against dissenters are considered possibly exaggerated. Theophilos faced conflicts with Saracens in Sicily but turned attention to a war against the Caliph of Baghdad, triggered by offering asylum to Persian refugees. Initial successes were followed by defeats, including the fall of Amorion in 838. A campaign against the Bulgarians disrupted the Via Militaris. Diplomatically, Theophilos engaged with the Emirate of Córdoba. Internally, Theophilos fought corruption, implemented impartial justice, and maintained sound finances despite expenditures. Educated in grammar, he valued music and art, fortifying Constantinople's walls and establishing a lasting hospital. Married to Theodora II, his death left their young son, Michael III, as heir. Theodora II, along with their daughter Thekla and the eunuch Theoktistos, took up regency. Theophilos' eldest son, Constantine, had died, and his youngest daughter, Maria, was married to the general Alexios Musele. Starting price: 200 EUR |  |
Match 1:
| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 261 | Silver | Auction date: 30 March 2025 |
| Lot number: 722 Price realized: 460 EUR (Approx. 497 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus with Romanus II AD 913-959. Constantinople Solidus AV 20 mm, 4,34 g + IhS XIS REX REGNANTIЧm, facing bust of Christ Pantokrator, wearing tunic, himation and a cross nimbus with three pellets in the arms, raising right hand in benediction and holding Gospel Book in his left / COnSTAnT' CЄ ROmAn' AЧGG bR, crowned facing busts of Constantine, bearded and wearing loros on the left, and Romanus, beardless and wearing chlamys on the right, both holding, between them with their right hands, a long patriarchal cross, set on globe. Very Fine, holed and traces of mounting Sear 1751. Starting price: 150 EUR |  |
Match 2:
| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Herakles Auction 2 | Auction date: 3 March 2025 |
| Lot number: 136 Price realized: 750 EUR (Approx. 780 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Byzantine Anastasius I AD 491-518. Constantinople Solidus AV 20 mm, 4,43 g D N ANASTASIVS P P AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding shield with horseman device on left shoulder, spear in right hand over right shoulder / VICTORIA AVGGG B, Victory standing left holding long staff surmounted by christogram, star in left field, CONOB in exergue. Nearly Extremely Fine DOC 7h; MIBE 7; Sear 5. Anastasius I ruled the Byzantine Empire from AD 491 to 518, ascending to the throne as an experienced administrator after being chosen by the widowed Empress Ariadne. His reign is remembered for its significant financial and administrative reforms, as well as religious controversies that reflected the complex challenges of governing a diverse empire. Anastasius inherited an empire strained by war and fiscal difficulties. One of his most notable achievements was restoring financial stability. He reformed the tax system, abolishing unpopular levies like the chrysargyron (a burdensome tax paid in gold or silver by businesses). He also streamlined revenue collection, improved fiscal discipline, and left the treasury with a substantial surplus, reputedly around 320,000 pounds of gold by the end of his reign. Militarily, Anastasius fortified the empire's borders. He strengthened the defenses of Constantinople and constructed the "Long Walls" outside the city to protect against raids. In the east, he engaged in the Anastasian War (AD 502–506) against the Sassanian Empire, which ended in a stalemate but underscored the need for continued vigilance along the Persian frontier. Anastasius was deeply involved in religious matters, which caused considerable unrest. A staunch Monophysite sympathizer, he attempted to reconcile differences between Monophysite Christians and the Chalcedonian orthodoxy, which led to tensions, particularly in the western provinces and among the clergy in Constantinople. These disputes culminated in riots, including the so-called "Vitalian Revolts," led by the general Vitalian, who opposed Anastasius' religious policies and posed a serious threat to his rule. Despite these challenges, Anastasius' reign is viewed as a period of stability and prosperity. His reforms laid the groundwork for future Byzantine successes, and his legacy as an effective administrator contrasts with the religious discord that marked his time on the throne. He died childless in AD 518, and his successor, Justin I, marked the beginning of the Justinian dynasty. Starting price: 500 EUR |  |
Match 3:
| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 261 | Silver | Auction date: 30 March 2025 |
| Lot number: 717 Price realized: 500 EUR (Approx. 540 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Constantine V Copronymus, with Leo IV and Leo III AD 741-7756. Constantinople Solidus AV 21 mm, 4,45 g COҺSƮAҺƮIҺOS S LЄOҺ O ҺЄOS, crowned facing busts of Constantine V and Leo IV, each wearing chlamys; cross above, pellet between / C LЄON P A MЧΘ, crowned facing bust of Leo III wearing loros, holding cross potent. Very Fine Sear 1551. Starting price: 200 EUR |  |
Match 4:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 129 | Auction date: 13 May 2025 |
| Lot number: 607 Price realized: 1,000 USD (Approx. 896 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Leo III the "Isaurian", with Constantine V. 717-741. AV Solidus (20mm, 4.43 g, 6h). Constantinople mint. Struck 732-circa 737. Crowned facing bust of Leo, wearing chlamys, holding globus cruciger and akakia / Crowned facing bust of Constantine, wearing chlamys, holding globus cruciger and akakia. DOC 6; Füeg 6.B.6; SB 1504. Toned. Near EF. From the G. Savonarola Collection. Ex Harlan J. Berk inventory cc70608 (March 2011). Together reigning nearly 60 years, Leo III and his son Constantine V reshaped Byzantine society and preserved the empire's core against the onslaught of Arab armies and Slavic invaders alike. Born to a peasant family in northern Syria, Leo III rose to become commander of the Anatolikon Theme in Asia Minor. With the Arabs preparing a massive siege of Constantinople, Leo's soldiers proclaimed him emperor in place of the feeble Theodosius III in March of AD 717. Six months later, the long-anticipated siege commenced. Leo proved equal to the task of defending the capital, and with the help of Greek fire and a timely counterattack, the Arabs were utterly routed. In 740, Leo cemented his reputation as a peerless soldier by crushing the Arab army at the battle of Akroinon in Phrygia. He also instituted numerous reforms that strengthened the central government and improved fairness in the administration of law. But he is chiefly known for his policy of iconoclasm, or the destruction of sacred images, which he regarded as akin to the graven images condemned in the 10 Commandments. In this, his beliefs were perhaps inspired by the Muslim practice of banning figural depictions of any kind. His efforts to enforce his beliefs on an unwilling clergy and populace became a true persecution late in his reign, and were even more zealously carried out by his son and successor, Constantine V, whose long reign was marked by further military success abroad and heavy-handed repression within. Constantine's enemies nicknamed him Copronymos, i.e. "named in dung," because he had allegedly fouled his baptismal fountain. But his generalship proved outstanding against both the Arabs and the Bulgarians, whom he crushed at the battle of Anchialos in AD 763. Byzantine fortunes in Italy received a blow in 751, however, when the city of Ravenna fell to the Lombards. The iconoclast controversy created discord throughout the Byzantine world for more than a century and counteracted many of the reforms and military victories achieved by father and son. Still, their efforts ensured the empire's survival and paved the way for the great Macedonian Renaissance in the following century. Estimate: 500 USD |  |
Match 5:
| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 261 | Silver | Auction date: 30 March 2025 |
| Lot number: 718 Price realized: 1,100 EUR (Approx. 1,188 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Constantine VI, with Leo III, Constantine V, and Leo IV AD 780-787. Constantinople Solidus AV 21 mm, 4,37 g LЄOҺ VS S ЄςςOҺ COҺSƮAҺƮIҺOS O ҺЄOS, Leo IV and Constantine VI enthroned facing, each wearing crown and chlamys; cross above / LЄOҺ PAP COҺSƮAҺƮIҺOS PAƮHR, crowned facing busts of Leo III and Constantine V, each wearing loros; cross above, pellet between. Nearly Extremely Fine Sear 1584 (Leo IV). Starting price: 200 EUR |  |
