This impressive bronze follis was struck at the mint of Nicomedia during the twenty-ninth regnal year of the emperor Justinian I, one of the most consequential rulers of the Byzantine Empire. Justinian’s reign was marked by ambitious military campaigns aimed at restoring the territories of the former Western Roman Empire, major legal reforms including the Corpus Juris Civilis, and monumental building projects such as the reconstruction of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

The obverse bears the inscription D N IVSTINI ANVS PP AVG (Dominus Noster Justinianus Perpetuus Augustus) and depicts a helmeted and cuirassed facing bust of Justinian, holding a globus cruciger and shield. The globus cruciger-an orb surmounted by a cross-symbolizes Christian dominion over the world and reflects the increasingly explicit union of imperial and Christian authority in Byzantine ideology. The martial attire further emphasizes Justinian’s role as defender of the empire and the faith.

The reverse displays the large M, the mark of value indicating 40 nummi, the standard denomination of the Byzantine follis. To the left appears ANNO, while to the right the regnal year XXVIIII records the twenty-ninth year of Justinian’s reign. A cross above the denomination reinforces the Christian character of the imperial state, while the letter A below the M denotes the officina (workshop) responsible for striking the coin. In the exergue appears NIKO, identifying the mint of Nicomedia, an important imperial mint in northwestern Asia Minor.

Large bronzes of Justinian from the mid-sixth century often circulated extensively, making well-preserved examples particularly desirable. This specimen is notable for its excellent preservation for the type, with strong details and pleasing surfaces.