On 5/31/20 I bought a One Semissis coin weight produced from a repurposed LRB coin Constantine (?) / Campgate. The same day, I bought a Byzantine electrum coin of Alexius III Angelus Comnenus. The coin from Austria arrived today. The weight made from a coin shipped on 6/9 from Switzerland. It has been stuck in NYC for 10 days. When the weight arrives, I will show a weight check of the coin. I am not an expert in Byzantine coins. The seller's attribution is below. The obverse is well worn (or overstruck). I am not sure which way is up. I can see only one emperor on the reverse . I can not see the second on in the description or in examples on line. Can someone here ID the coin? Alexius III Angelus Comnenus (1195-1203). EL Aspron Trachy. Constantinople mint. Obverse - Christ Pantokrator enthroned facing. Reverse - Alexius and St. Constantine I, each wearing loros and holding cruciform scepter, standing facing, holding labarum between them. D.O. 2d; Sear 2010. EL. 2.15 grams 27.0 mm About VF.
Looks very similar to mine. I hope you didn't pay electrum prices for it. Isaac II 1185 to 1195 AD Billon aspron trachy Obvs: MP OV, The Virgin enthroned facing, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium; she holds infant Christ. Revs: I CAA KI OC/ ΔЄC ΠO TH C, Isaac standing and facing, wearing crown, holding cruciform scepter, and being crowned by Manus Dei 28mm, 3.8g Constantinople mint Ref: Sear 2003
I am no expert in this type of coins, but it writes "QV" at the right of the figure on the obverse, making that figure Mary, not Jesus. The coin is cleaned to bare metal; it is possible that is not electrum, so extend your search to other types.
Electrum coins of the period retain a smoothness from the gold and silver that is lost in the high copper billon coins. All the polishing in the world does not make electrum from billon. I do not have an electrum Alexius but the Michael below illustrates the pale gold look of electrum. Gold alloys are easier to strike than are those with a lot of copper so the design from both dies is more likely to transfer properly. Billon coins usually have some weakness as on the OP coin. I would suggest you not buy other coins from this seller.
David correctly attributed the coin, this is not Alexius III and in my opinion not electrum. Doug you are right MP=OV is Mary.
Thanks for all of your help. The seller's attribution did not look right to me. No - I did not pay electrum price for the coin. I bought it because I needed a coin that weighted 2.19 grams and this one was close - 2.15 grams. When I bought the coin, I thought it had been clipped. In theory a 1/2 solidus should weigh 2.27 grams. This coin is about 5% low. When the scale weight arrives I will show them together. I have an old two pan balance (1800's). Now I need a rocker balance to check coin weights. I have seen demonstrations of these and it was interesting. Some scales like this tell you how much the coin is under weight.
