Justinian II — The First Numismatic Portrait of Christ Byzantine Empire | First Reign, AD 685–695 | Constantinople | AV Solidus, 4.36g | Struck AD 692–695 | Sear 1248 | NGC Ch AU | Strike 4/5, Surface 4/5 | Clipped

Few coins in the history of numismatics carry the historical significance of this gold solidus of Justinian II. Struck at Constantinople during Justinian's first reign, around AD 692–695, it represents the earliest known portrait of Jesus Christ on coinage. For more than three centuries after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, imperial coins continued to feature emperors, military imagery, crosses, and other Christian symbols—but not a direct portrait of Christ. Justinian II changed that tradition decisively. His decision placed the image of Christ himself at the center of the Byzantine gold currency and created one of the most recognizable types in all of Byzantine numismatics.

The obverse presents Christ Pantokrator, “Christ Almighty,” facing directly outward. He has long hair and a full beard, a cross behind His head, and raises His right hand in a gesture of blessing while holding the Book of the Gospels in His left. Around the portrait is the Greek legend IҺS CRISTOS REX REGNANTIVM, meaning “Jesus Christ, King of Kings.” The choice of Christ rather than the emperor is extraordinary: on a coin that traditionally functioned as a statement of imperial authority, the Byzantine state effectively placed the heavenly sovereign above the earthly ruler. The style of the portrait is also significant; the Pantokrator image became one of the defining visual forms of Byzantine Christian art.

The reverse returns to the emperor, showing Justinian II standing facing, crowned and dressed in the elaborate loros, holding a cross potent in his right hand and the akakia in his left. The surrounding inscription identifies him as “Justinian, Servant of Christ.” The relationship between the two sides could hardly be clearer: Christ is the King; Justinian is His servant. This was more than religious decoration. It was a powerful statement about the Byzantine understanding of imperial authority, in which the emperor ruled within a Christian order and ultimately under divine authority.

The timing of the issue makes it even more consequential. In AD 692, the Quinisext, or Trullan, Council was held in Constantinople. Its Canon 82 called for Christ to be represented in human form rather than symbolically as the Lamb. Modern numismatic scholarship frequently connects this religious development with Justinian's new coin type, although the exact causal relationship cannot be proven. At almost the same moment, the Islamic world was undergoing its own dramatic transformation of coinage under ʿAbd al-Malik, moving toward explicitly Islamic and increasingly aniconic designs. Byzantine gold had previously circulated widely beyond the empire; Justinian's decision to place Christ on the solidus was therefore part of a much larger transformation in the visual language of power and religion across the eastern Mediterranean.

This example is particularly compelling because the Christ portrait remains exceptionally clear, with the face, beard, cross-nimbus, Gospel book, and surrounding inscription all strongly present. NGC has graded the piece Choice AU, Strike 4/5, Surface 4/5, noting the clipping visible along the edge. The clipping is a physical reminder of the coin's long monetary life rather than something that obscures the central historical image. In the larger story of ancient and medieval coinage, this is not simply another Byzantine gold solidus: it is the coin that introduced the portrait of Jesus Christ to the world's coinage, establishing an iconographic tradition that would continue throughout Byzantine historyx