Due to custom regulations we can not ship outside the E.U. Please make sure you have an EU shipping address before bidding. Throughout history, coins were an ideal propaganda tool for Kings and governments to present themselves and the message they wanted to communicate. They are an important symbol of power and are full of symbolism. Coin: bronze 'Portrait of Christ' follis, struck during the reign of Emperor Romanus III, 1028-1034 AD. The coin is set in a modern silver pendant and is suitable for wearing. If preferred the pendant can easily be removed. Obverse: Christ facing with book of Gospels, +EMMANOVHA IX-XC. Reverse: Cross with IS \ XS above, bAS-ILE \ bASILE ("Jesus Christ, King of Kings") Diameter: ± 31,6 mm (pendant) Ref: Sear 1823 Condition: Very fine condition with areas of sand encrustation. Signs of wear consistent with age and use. See images. Certificate of Authenticity: available upon request (pdf-format). HISTORY: Byzantine bronze coins of this type are the first coins to portray Jesus Christ. They were issued in the 10th-11th century AD and have a portrait of Christ on one side and either a cross or lettering on the reverse. Romanus III: Byzantine Emperor from 1028 - 1034. Romanus was a 60-year old Byzantine nobleman when the dying Emperor Constantine VIII forced him to divorce his wife and marry his daughter Zoë (aged 50). Romanus was the preferred candidate of the Emperor's advisors who preferred not to have a strong military leader as their new emperor. He was indeed an ineffectual emperor who spent large sums on new buildings, churches and monasteries. He reorganised the tax system and as a result undermined the finances of the state. Romanos' failure to stand up to the aristocracy led to more of the peasantry falling into a state of serfdom, which in turn undermined the traditional recruiting base of the Byzantine army. The combination of reduced tax income and fewer native-born troops had long-term consequences. It is believed he was either poisoned by his wife, or drowned in a bath on her orders. He died in 1034 and was succeeded by Zoë's new husband, Michael IV.