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Byzantine Coinage, temp. Basil II and Constantine VIII, Miliaresion, 976-1025, small busts of Emperors facing, large ornate cross-on-steps between, rev. meaningless legend, mostly retrograde, in five lines, annulet below, 2.56g. A barbarous contemporary imitation; pierced and slightly creased, otherwise nearly very fine, extremely rare £1,200-1,500

Provenance: Found in Estonia.

Part of a small group of imitations thought to originate in the region of Estonia and south-west Finland, copying originals brought north by the Viking Varangians. Possibly made for ornament rather than currency, these pieces often show signs of piercing and mounting