Carthage Half Follis “imperial K” — With Certificate Of Authenticity

Issued at Carthage under the reign of Maurice Tiberius (582–602), this half follis (½ follis) dated IY 3 (i.e., regnal year 3, commonly placed in 584/585) brings together, in a module particularly pleasing to the Byzantine collector, the frontal majesty of the ruler bearing Christian insignia and the large value mark K that characterizes the fractional bronzes of the period; the whole corresponds, with fully verifiable coherence, to the type listed as Sear 560 and documented in corpora and sale archives under the usual cross-references SB 560 / DOC 249 / MIBE 119.

Close examination under ×10 magnification and raking light, following a numismatic method centered on reading the relief, the continuity of patinas, and the coherence of striking marks, brings out on the obverse a frontal imperial bust, crowned and cuirassed, holding the globus cruciger in the right hand, while the left hand presents the shield, whose traditional decoration—here rendered in the preserved volumes—belongs to the figurative repertoire expected for this issue; the whole is framed by the imperial legend D N TIBE MAVRICI P, legible in segments and consistent, in its formula, with published attestations for the type.

On the reverse, the typological reading unfolds clearly around a large central K, the value mark of the half follis, surmounted by a cross placed between N and M, with a star at left and a star at right, a composition canonically reported for this classification; the exergue bears IND III, an indiction indication frequently encountered on African bronzes of this period, and the date IY 3—recorded for this issue—anchors the specimen in the regnal year commonly given as 584/585.

From a material standpoint, the copper-alloy shows a dark grey-green patina, with lighter nuances on the high points, and a perforation is noted near the edge, whose edges and coloration integrate into the same surface regime as the rest of the flan; this detail belongs to the object’s history of use—sometimes preservation as a pendant, sometimes a collector’s marking—without affecting the typological identification or the readability of the structural elements, which remain dominant to the eye and confirmed under magnification by the presence of the major markers (frontal portrait, K, cross, N–M, stars, IND).

Authority: Maurice Tiberius, emperor (582–602).

Mint: Carthage.

Denomination: Half Follis / demi-follis (bronze, Æ).

Date: IY 3, commonly given for 584/585.

Metrology: 6.52 g; 19 mm (data recorded for this specimen).

Obverse: D N TIBE MAVRICI P, frontal crowned and cuirassed bust, globus cruciger and shield.

Reverse: large K; above, cross between N–M; lateral stars; exergue IND III.

Reference: Sear 560 (catalogue and archival concordances).