I have recently been gifted x3 "True Cross" Terracotta Pilgrim Tokens. There has been a previous post on this site about them. These are in VGC, and I have just noticed there is a 'X' above each arm of the Cross. I have read there are different types. Can anyone tell me which type my ones are pleas? Believed to have come from a hoard found in Turkey decades ago. They are Circa 630AD and were commissioned by Emperor Heraclius in 628 when he won back the Cross from the Persians. They are reported to have a small amount of True Cross Ash mixed in with the Clay.? Possibly a good selling point for the Pilgrims?
Regarding the types of these Cross tokens. On page 274 of Mitchiner's book, he establishes 4 sub-types, which he designated as types 'a', 'b', 'c', and 'd': a: Inscriptional letters (H N E I) in the Cross' 4 quadrants; no human figures. b: Three human figures around the Cross. c: Two small human figures at the foot of the Cross. (Approx. 15mm avg.) d: Two larger human figures at the foot of the Cross. (Approx. 18mm avg.) Note that Mitchiner cites "X X" on both type 'c' and type 'd': My one example is type 'd' because it has two human figures and has a diameter of 17.5 mm. The "X - X" is very faint, but in-hand they are more readily visible.
Interesting. Had you not told us they were terracotta, I wouldn't have guessed, from the pictures. I would've assumed they were bronze.
I had the exact same initial thought. Perhaps at some point they received an application of a protectant similar to RenWax. That would both deepen the coloration of the terracotta and add a sheen.
Possibly, but the person I got them off has owned them for over 30 years and he said he bought them as they are now?
I had never heard of these prior to this thread. Just stumbled across one that sold for $425 on CNG in 2023. Good overview summary in their listing. Wow- nice gift!
In the last portion of the 19th century and on up to about the mid-20th century, ancient coin collectors would sometimes apply a shellac to their collection's coins. the idea was to protect the coins, but I suspect many also liked the "shine" it added to the coin's surface. Today, lacquering is considered an outdated conservation technique. The good thing was/is that since natural and nitrocellulose lacquers don't react chemically with metal, it was typically safely removed without too much difficulty. I can't keep from wondering, based on their appearance in the image, if your tokens may have had lacquering also. Because of the extreme porosity of terracotta, IF they have been lacquered, I'm not sure it could be removed. Curious: What is the weight of the tokens you have? Do they feel like terracotta? I have seen these tokens within a very wide range of weight -- from about 1.25 g to about 2.25 g. Mine is 1.45 g. Also, can you take a picture of their flip side just to share what that surface looks like? Anyway... congrats on getting a trio of them! They are fascinating artifacts.
Thank you Philogus. the Larger one is 1.7mm dia weighing 2.3g. The two smaller ones are 1.5mm di weighing 1.4g. I don't think these have a Shellac coating as there is what looks like dried soil on top of the surface.
