A metal detectorist in Norway recently found an ultra rare gold coin depicting Jesus Christ holding a Bible.
Norway’s Innlandet County Municipality reports the coin was found in the mountains of the Vestre Slidre municipality located in the central part of the Nordic country and is in remarkable condition, considering it’s 1,000 years old.
The coin was first introduced in Byzantium around 960 A.D. It was minted in what was then called the Eastern Roman Empire, probably in the empire’s capital of Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, the county said.
On one side of the coin, Christ is portrayed holding a Bible. The reverse side is believed to show the depictions of emperors Basil II (left) and Constantine VIII (right). The pair were brothers and ruled together, according to the Innlandet report.
It is believed the coin was struck during the late reigns of the brothers, sometime between 977 and 1025 A.D. Coins minted during this period have a dotted, triple border around them, just like this one.
The rare coin bears two inscriptions, one in Latin which says: “Jesus Christ, King of those who reign”, and one in Greek which says: “Basil and Constantine, emperors of the Romans.”
The
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