AV/EL Histamenon | Constantinople Mint | Choice Very Fine
Struck during a time of internal strife and external loss, this gold histamenon nomisma hails from the troubled reign of Emperor Michael VII Doukas — remembered for the economic collapse and the empire's catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071.
The obverse features the bust of Christ, haloed and holding the Gospels, radiating spiritual authority. The reverse shows Michael VII standing, crowned and robed, holding the labarum and globus cruciger — a ruler clinging to divine legitimacy as Byzantium’s grip on power weakened.
Graded Choice Very Fine (Ch VF), this coin retains impressive detail for its age, especially in the facial and garment features of both Christ and the emperor.
