1ST DEPICTION OF CHRIST ON A COIN (685 AD)

Less than 700 years after Christ’s death, Byzantine Emperor Justinian II began feuding with the Pope and Western Church. Disagreements escalated in 692 AD when Justinian II announced a series of decrees — the most controversial being the decision to depict Christ in human form, a violation of accepted tradition that was permanently etched on the face of a coin. #JUSTINIAN is a well-preserved relic from the first time Christ appeared on a coin, minted during Justinian II’s First Reign in Constantinople. Just 3 examples have been graded higher in NGC’s population.

“The Empire’s gold coins set an artistic and monetary standard for the Mediterranean world throughout most of Byzantine history.”, — The Metropolitan Museum of Art