Justinian I 527-565 AD, AE Follis, Constantinople, Regal Year 15, Delta

Description

Justinian I
Large Modular Follis
542 AD
Constantinople
Gamma Officinia
Regal Year 15
22.1 grams
37-38 mm diameter
Large irregular flan, dark patina with lighter highlights that is pleasing in the hand with its weight and size.
Guaranteed genuine.
A nice coin with a nice price
Emperor Justinian was blamed for the Black Death that fell over the Byzantine Empire and much of Europe because he was the religious leader of his people and his prayers for divine intercession failed; as a result, many of his coins were defaced by rubbing out his eyes, nose and mouth as a type of damnatio memorae.
This coin memento to the Black Plague that killed at least 5,000 citizens a day in Constantinople.