Unique Byzantine AR Trachy - Side Facing Obverse?? - John III Vatazes - Reverse Match to Triton Coin

Here is a very interesting coin I have come across. It is an AR trachy of Byzantine emperor John III Vatazes, seemingly unique. The coin features something I have never seen on the obverse of a Byzantine trachy....a sideways facing figure!!!


I stumbled across a CNG's Triton listing which features a coin very similar to my own.

CNG labels the coin as: Emperor of Nicaea, 1222-1254. AR Trachy (31mm, 2.40 g, 6h). Magnesia mint. The Virgin Mary, orans, standing facing; (MP) ΘV across upper field, cross of four pellets to either side / John standing facing, holding star-tipped scepter in right hand, globus surmounted by patriarchal cross in left. S. Bendall, “Some unpublished late Byzantine coins,” NumCirc (August 2002), no. 3 (this coin); otherwise unpublished.

My example shares a very similar reverse to this coin. I can't tell if it is a die match but if not, the dies must have been carved by the same hand. The obverse is where things become very interesting. Bendall labeled his specimen as front facing...however, on his trachy this face area is weakly struck and no details survive. My example features a similar design but seems to show Mary's face to the right! This something that is (at least for me) unheard of for Byzantine trachys. I have never seen a sideways facing figure on a trachy either in hand, in books, online etc.

Bendall's example weighs 2.40 grams and is 31mm wide. My coin is 2.49 grams and about 33mm on the longer side.

Below Mary is the front section of a throne. She seems to be in a pose of supplication before the prepared throne of the second coming. This scene is reminiscent of hetoimasia icons where Mary prays before the empty throne of Christ (if this is indeed what is depicted).


To be honest, I am not quite sure what to make this of trachy. Its not in any reference books I have access to. The design isn't like anything I have seen before. Any help would be appreciated.

 

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I see an artifact of striking rather than an intentional side facing head.

 

Whenever I might get inclined to see an unlikely feature on a Byzantine spec as intentional rather than the result of the ubiquitous striking faults, I take a look at this:



An unrecorded trachion/stamena with 3 standing figures - Virgin, another saint(?) and emperor, or a fortuitous result of striking that shows the Virgin twice?

 

That's an interesting coin. The non-Emperor side of your coin, seems to be double struck, which resulted in a 2-headed standing portrait, either by combining 2 standing portraits, or by showing the same standing portrait twice. The right head has certain lines and squiggles, which make it look sort of like a right facing face. The left head is rather muddled, so I can't tell, if it's front facing, or side facing. I can't tell, if the right head is really a right facing portrait, or if the right facing "face" is merely an artifact of the strike, as @dougsmit suggested. I'm not an expert on this coin type, so take what I say, with a grain of salt.

 

The vast majority of the cup shaped AE and AR coins of this era were struck twice tilting the top die a but to insure the whole design transferred. Rarely was this done accurately enough that you don't see some shift. Coins with a lot of shift like the one from seth77 tend to destroy the other side making me avoid them. Gold is softer and faired better on average. This series is great if you like coins with one nice side and one not so......

Alexius III with right figure seeming to be 3/4 facing left and 'shadow' of the other, more direct, strike. Note the single/doubled globus cruciger between the figures is offset that same amount.

To strike properly with one blow, the two dies needed to have identical but opposite curves. The mint had trouble with that so the double striking made things a little better???

 

This coin seems to be overstruck, and in any case two obverse dies are involved - one with the Virgin and another type featuring Christ seated on a backless throne.

Ross G.

 

You sir are a genius! Thank you! I saw the XC on the right of Mary and just assumed this was due to a poor strike or corrosion. However, with the throne below it would make total sense that this was overstruck on a previous type!!

I am grateful for your input! If I can trace this overstrike, I might even be able to date this trachy! Seriously, thanks mate!

 

Wow, I don't have much to add but this is all very interesting! Can't wait to see what comes of your efforts to further study this rare type. Good luck!