NICEPHORUS III w/ Latin Cross & Christ Nimbate, c1080 AD Byzantine Emperor Coin

Description

Nicephorus III, Botaniates, Byzantine Emperor 1078-1081 A.D.
Nicephorus
had served as a general in Constantine IX’s army in 1055 A.D.  As a member of a family claiming to be descended from the Byzantine Phokas family (Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas – 963-969), he had his sights set on becoming an emperor himself.  In 1057, he was an active participant in bringing Issac I to the Byzantine throne.  He had been considered to be the next husband of Empress Eudokia (wife of the deceased Emperor Constantine IX). However, she wanted to marry to Romanos IV who became emperor himself (1068-1071).  Nicephorus finally got his chance when he led a revolt against Michael VII and was named emperor in 1078 A.D. Though he had a long military career as a general, he had been part of several devastating Byzantine defeats.  In 1064, he lost a battle against the Balkan Turks in which he suffered the humiliation of being captured.  He survived his imprisonment, returned to the Byzantine army and then led a humiliating retreat in 1067 in which the emperor's brother was captured by the Turks.   In 1078 he led a rebellion and was crowned emperor; however, he continued to fail in the Byzantine's efforts to fight off intrusions by Armenians, Normans, and Turks.
Byzantine Anonymous Coins
On these coins the emperor’s name and portrait are not part of the design, hence their designation as anonymous.
Instead of an “earthly king”, these coins depict Christianity’s “King of Kings”, Jesus Christ.
On these coins Christ is often shown seated and facing the camera surrounded by a nimbate.
He wears or holds a combinations of things like; nimbus cruciger, palladium, colobium, Gospels, and crosses.
The reverse of these coins depict many different kinds of features and/or legends.
LATIN CROSS
A Latin Cross or
cross immissa
is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam.
It began as a Roman Catholic empblem but later became a universal symbol of Christianity.
The floor plan of many churches and cathedrals look like a Latin Cross when viewed from above.
Here are the coin's attrib
utes:
NICEPHORUS III, AE Class I Anonymous Follis (21-23 mm, 3.88 gm)
OBV:    IC-XC to left and right of bust of Christ, nimbate, facing, right hand raised, book of gospels in left
REV:
Latin cross with X at center, globe and two dots at the ends of each arm, crescent at top left and right, floral ornaments at lower left and right
SB 1889     1078-1081 A.D.
As usual the pictures do not necessarily show off the coins in their entirety.
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I have collected Roman coins for many years and have always bought coins from trusted, reputable dealers. The coins I sell are ancient currency minted under the authority of the Roman and Byzantine Empires.  The details I describe (emperor, location, legends, etc) are derived from well-known and certified attribution sources.  The descriptions are guaranteed accurate as much as the condition of the coin allows.  This
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does not make any claim or estimate of the value or grades of the coin(s).
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