Byzantine Empire — Justinian II Gold Solidus Justinian II, First Reign | AD 685–695 | Constantinople | AD 692–695 | AV Solidus, 4.40g | Sear 1248 | NGC AU 4/5 — 3/5 | Edge Bend, Clipped, Brushed To Be Pendant This remarkable gold solidus of Justinian II carries one of the most important images ever placed on an ancient coin: the first numismatic portrait of Jesus Christ. Struck at Constantinople between AD 692–695, during Justinian II’s first reign, the coin replaced the traditional imperial portrait on the obverse with Christ Pantokrator — Christ, Ruler of All. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and NGC both identify this issue as the earliest representation of Christ on coinage, making it an extraordinary piece of early Christian and Byzantine history.

Christ is shown facing directly forward, with long hair, a full beard, and a cross behind His head, raising His right hand in blessing while holding the Gospels in His left. The surrounding inscription reads IhS CRISTOS REX REGNANTIVM — “Jesus Christ, King of Kings.” On the reverse, Justinian II stands facing in his imperial robes, holding a cross and the akakia, while the legend identifies him as “Justinian, Servant of Christ.” The arrangement is deliberate: the emperor who ruled the Byzantine Empire literally appears on the reverse as the servant of the figure occupying the coin's position of highest honor.

The appearance of Christ on the coinage came at a pivotal moment in Byzantine religious history. In AD 692, the Quinisext Council, also known as the Council in Trullo, addressed the proper representation of Christ, with Canon 82 favoring Christ's depiction in human form rather than solely through the symbolic image of the Lamb. The exact connection between the council's decree and Justinian's coinage cannot be proven as direct cause and effect, but the two developments occurred together. The new coin type also emerged during a period of growing ideological and monetary competition with the Islamic world, making the solidus a powerful statement of the Byzantine Empire's Christian identity.

Because this particular example has an edge bend and clipping, rather than being kept solely as a slabbed collector coin, it is destined for something entirely different: a beautiful pendant. That transformation gives the piece a second life. Instead of remaining behind plastic in a collection, this nearly 1,300-year-old Byzantine gold coin can become a piece of wearable history, with the face of Christ Pantokrator literally carried with you. The clipping and edge bend that affect its conventional numismatic presentation also make it particularly suitable for mounting, allowing the coin to be preserved and displayed in a way that celebrates rather than conceals its physical history.

At NGC AU 4/5 — 3/5, the major imagery remains wonderfully apparent, including the facial features of Christ, the cross behind His head, the Gospel book, and Justinian's imperial figure on the reverse. More than a gold coin, this is a surviving artifact from the moment when Christ first appeared on the world's coinage—and soon it will become something even more personal: a wearable connection to the Byzantine Empire, the reign of Justinian II, and one of the earliest portraits of Jesus ever struck in gold.