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                                Sale: CNG 69, Lot: 1866. Closing Date: Jun 08, 
                                2005. BASIL I, the Macedonian, with CONSTANTINE. 
                                867-886 AD. Æ Pattern "Solidus" (4.16 gm, 6h). 
                                Constantinople mint. Struck circa 868-879 AD. 
                                Bidding Closed Estimate $500 

                              BASIL I, the Macedonian, with CONSTANTINE. 867-886 
                              AD. Æ Pattern "Solidus" (4.16 gm, 6h). 
                              Constantinople mint. Struck circa 868-879 AD. 
                              +IhSUS X RISTOS *, facing bust of Christ / 
                              [bASI]LIOS ET CONSTANT' AUGG I', crowned facing 
                              busts of Basil and Constantine, holding labarum 
                              between. DOC III -; SB -. VF, dark green patina. 
                              Struck on a squared-off flan. ($500)

                              This piece appears to be a mint pattern for a 
                              proposed solidus of Basil I. The obverse is 
                              adopted from a solidus of his predecessor Michael 
                              III (DOC III 3; SB 1688), while the reverse is 
                              unknown as a solidus type. The portrait type of 
                              Basil and his son holding a labarum is used on a 
                              follis (DOC III 8; SB 1721), which has been 
                              regarded by some as a product of a provincial 
                              mint. This off-metal pattern for a solidus, if 
                              that is what it is, could provide evidence for SB 
                              1721 being an issue of the central mint, matching 
                              a proposed parallel type for a gold solidus. The 
                              use of the Christ portrait and the labarum 
                              attribute may have been too close a link to the 
                              solidi of Michael, whom Basil had in fact 
                              overthrown and murdered.








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High bid of $1600 , $1840 including 15% buyers fee, or approximately €1296, £880, C$2000, A$2080, on June 8, 2005.

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