AE unit (reworked as token)

Uncertain early medieval authority, AE unit (reworked as token), c. 7th–10th century CE; 8.60 g, 25 mm Hammered issue on an irregular flan; later conversion to token has effaced the strike and altered the fabric. Unattributed and unpublished; cf. generally the fabric of early medieval Byzantine and early Islamic bronze units (e.g., Sear Byzantine; Album, Checklist of Islamic Coins), but no exact catalog parallel cited. Repurposing worn bronze coins into local tokens or counters is documented across the early medieval Mediterranean and Near East, reflecting pragmatic responses to small-change shortages and the extended life of bronze flans beyond formal monetary circulation. This piece illustrates that secondary use, with deliberate surface effacement indicating a shift from official coinage to utilitarian token.