You probably have noticed that byzantine bulla(e) are often to be found in stores or auctions. They are mistakenly called "seal" in English, but they are rather somehow a sort of identification-thing. There are so many, and you can see them here: https://www.doaks.org/resources/seals/byzantine-seals#b_start=0 But I have also come across similar items called "tessare". Google does not offer much help. I just want to know: What is the difference between a bulla and a tessare? The one is Greek and the other Latin?
I thought a tessare was a pseudo coin, like a privately minted token. Bullas I thought were document seals. I could be completely wrong, but that is how I understood them to be.
A tessera is a jeton issued either as notgeld (tessera mercantile) or as a ticket of access to a certain area/place -- like a market or a theater. It can also be a cubic stone or ceramic piece used as a unit of construction for mosaics.
I agree with @seth77 and @medoraman . I captured mine just because of that reason: it was a ticket / token. I am fascinated with what my lead Tessera was used for. Roman I Empire era Tessera ca 1st C CE PB 13mm 1.39g Obv: Fortuna rudder cornu Rev: DP Rostovtsev 2307 Ruggerio 808-9
I've posted this before in my entry on Raymond III of Tripoli, but here is a possible tessera mercantile of Italian origin, probably used in the Crusader States:
