Justinian I AE Reduced Follis Black Plague Year 543 AD Constantinople

Description

Justinian I AE Reduced Follis
543 AD
Epsilon Officina
Constantinople.
Sear 163
Regal Year 16
19.9 grams
33-34 diameter
Small modular and irregular thick flan with a pleasing light brown patina
Obverse: Complete legends and images except where someone defaced Justinian’s image during the Black Plague because the common people believed Justinian either brought the plague on them or he was powerless to prevent it as the sole religious leader of the Byzantine Empire.
Reverse:Mostly complete except for the X on the regal year 14 which probably was part of the damnatio placed on Justinian’s coins since at least 5,000 people a day were dying from the Justinian Plague and millions more were dying across Europe
Guaranteed genuine, all sales are final
Own a piece of history, a marker for one of the deadliest pestilences in antiquity.
Nice heavy coin feels and looks good in the hand.