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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Tejas, post: 8262773, member: 84905&quot;]Someone posted pictures of medieval Georgian coins, stating how unusual and sometimes how unobtainable and rare they are.</p><p><br /></p><p>I think this field of collecting deserves its own thread. Hopefully we will get to see some of these unusual Georgian bronzes or the exceedingly rare silver Drachms/Dirhems of Queen Rusudan. Below are two of the enigmatic silver Drachms/Dirhems of Queen Rusudan, from my collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>Queen Rusudan ruled from 1222 to 1245. Her silver Dirhems were minted in 1230 and they represent the last Georgian issues of &quot;western style&quot;.</p><p>Rusudan was a daughter of the great Queen Tamar. However, during her reign the kingdom was under intense pressure from Muslim invaders and she did not manage to halt the gradual decline of Georgia.</p><p>While Rusudan&#039;s copper coins are the most plentiful of all the Georgian medieval coins, here silver coins (Dirhems and half-Dirhems) are very rare and the most sought after coins by collectors.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Obv.: </b>Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus, pallium and colobium and raising right hand in benediction, holds ornamented book of Gospels in left hand. Greek legend: ΙC ΧC. Marginal Georgian Asomtavruli legend:</p><p><b>ႱႠႾႤႪႨႧႠႶႧႨႱႨႧႠႨႽႤႣႠႵჃႬ,</b> in the name of God, was struck in the K’oronikon 450 (=1230).</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rev.:</b> In the centre of an ornamented frame, which is reminiscent of a badge depicted on queen Tamar’s coin dated by 1200 (T. Barnaveli thinks it is a “spearhead-like figure”), three Asomtavruli letters ႰႱႬ, i.e Rusudan. Marginal legend:</p><p><b>ملكة&nbsp; الملكات جلال الدنيا والدين&nbsp;&nbsp; روسدان بنت تامار ظهير المسيح</b></p><p>Queen of the Queens, glory of the world and faith, Rusudan, daughter of Tamar, champion of the Messiah.</p><p>Kapanadze 77; Lang 14.</p><p><br /></p><p>The silver coinage of Rusudan, was the first precious metal coinage in Georgia in nearly 150 years. It was prompted by the Crusader conquest of Constantinople in 1204, which deprived Georgia of the source of its circulating gold and silver coins. Georgian chronicles refer to these coins as Botinati, after the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus III Botaniates, whose nomismata were copied here.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1457492[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1457493[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information:</p><p><a href="https://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/public/en/catalogue/types?type=49" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/public/en/catalogue/types?type=49" rel="nofollow">https://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/public/en/catalogue/types?type=49</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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