THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE
HERACLIUS, 610-641, WITH HERACLIUS CONSTANTINUS
Mint of Jerusalem
Solidus 626-630. Obv. (dd NN) hЄRACLIi×S ЄT(hЄRA) CON Crowned busts of Heraclius on l. and Heraclius Constantinus on r., each wearing chlamys and crowns with cross. Heraclius Constantinus is much smaller. Cross above. Rev. VICTORIA- AVζ× IΠ Cross potent on three steps. CONOB below. Sear 852. DOC 187b var. (Alexandria). MIB 77 (Cyprus). 4.37 g. Rare. Graffiti on rev. Flattening on the outer rim. Otherwise uncirculated. Purchased from Baldwin’s London in October 1985. ”These issues are quite controversial. Hahn, in MIB, suggests that they come from a military mint in Cyprus, and that the letters at the end of the legend on the reverse date the issues to 617-622 and 622-627 respectively; while the DOC attributes them to Alexandria. However the date IΠ and IX on the reverses can very clearly related to very rare AE folles unscribed with the full name of the Jerusalem in the exergu, and must be mintmarks rather than dates. His is especially true since obverse dies linkboth reverse types. A military mint in Jerusalem during the time when Heraclius was directing his war against the Sassanid Persians makes perfectly good sense historically, and the appearance of coins from a named temporary mint has a number of other late Roman and Byzantine parallels.” – Dr. Alan Walker 1999.