16 June 2022
 Categories: Finance & Money, Blog

People love collecting coins because coins can tell the story of the civilization that minted them. Byzantine coins are especially popular among coin collectors.

Money played a central role in the expansion and development of the Byzantine empire. While coins remained consistent throughout most of the Byzantine period, there were times when traditionally flat coins were minted with a concave shape.

Historians may not know the exact reason why these curved coins were introduced, but they have some theories that ancient coin collectors may be interested in learning.

1. Royal Skimming

One possible explanation for the curved Byzantine coins that have been discovered is royal skimming.

Some historians believe that various emperors diluted the gold coins minted under their rule with silver. Lowering the gold content of the coins allowed the emperor to preserve more precious metal to pay soldiers or build palaces.

Gold coins made with this silver alloy were much more malleable than their pure gold counterparts. As a result, historians speculate that alloyed coins took on a curved appearance during the minting process.

2. Counterfeit Prevention

Another theory that could explain the curved nature of some Byzantine coins is the idea that the curved surface was harder to counterfeit.

The Byzantine Empire was a force to be reckoned with. The Byzantines traveled far and wide to procure consumer goods and form business alliances with other civilizations. The influence of the Byzantines was so widespread that many civilizations started to adopt the Byzantine monetary system to facilitate trade.

According to some historians, this spread of the Byzantine monetary system could have led to an increase in counterfeiting activity. A curved coin would have been very difficult for counterfeiters to produce, which allowed Byzantine emperors to maintain the value of their coins.

3. Added Structural Integrity

Ancient civilizations often believed that the larger a coin was, the more impressive it would be. This thought pattern could provide an explanation for curved Byzantine coins.

In order to make a coin larger without increasing its gold content, the coin would be very thin. Adding a curve to the design of these thinner coins helped to add strength and stability to the coin itself.

A curved coin was less likely to bend or break over time. The simple addition of a copped profile allowed Byzantine mints to produce large, thin coins that were capable of remaining in circulation for many years. For more information on curved Byzantine coins, contact a professional near you.