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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Valentinian, post: 4244969, member: 44316&quot;]I bought an unidentified Byzantine trachy (cup-shaped coin) on eBay. Like many late Byzantine trachy, the flan has problems. It is bent and has a small hole. But, it also has remarkably clear lettering. I have the major reference books, but did not find it with some looking through the plates of several Byzantine-coin books. However, I knew it was clear enough to identify eventually. When I did, with the help of [USER=84047]@Voulgaroktonou[/USER], I saw it was in some of those books, but their examples were in such poor condition they were not easy to recognize as the same type.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is Theodore I, founder of the short-lived Empire of Thessalonica.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1083626[/ATTACH]</p><p>Theodore Comnenus-Ducas Angelus, emperor of the Empire of Thessalonica,</p><p>31 mm. Originally cup-shaped, but partially squashed since then.</p><p>Struck c. 1227/8</p><p>St. Demetrius (patron saint of Thessalonica)</p><p>O AΓIOC&nbsp; ΔHMHTPIOC</p><p>Emperor left and Virgin with halo right holding patriarchal cross (two crossbars)</p><p>ΘЄOΔωPOC ΔЄC MP [above Mary] ΘV [to the right]</p><p>(Theodore Despot. Mother of God)</p><p><br /></p><p>Sear 2167. DO IV.II Theodore 9</p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1083627[/ATTACH] </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Empire of Thessaloncia </b>(The tan-colored area on the map from wikipedia).<b> Theodore Angelus Comnenus Ducas, 1225-1230</b>. In 1215 the Crusaders (&quot;Latins&quot;) were in charge of Constantinople, a region around it, and some of Greece (the tan-colored area on the map from wikipedia) including Thessalonica, the second-largest city after Constantinople. The Despotate of Epirus occupied the west coast of Greece. The Bulgarians occupied much of the rest of the Balkans. The Empire of Nicaea occupied Asia Minor outside the Latin territory. Theodore became ruler of the Despotate of Epirus in 1215 upon the death of his half-brother Michael Angelus. (There is a different Theodore, Theodore I Lascaris, who was Emperor of Nicaea.)&nbsp; He was a relative of three of the most prominent Byzantine families, which explains all those names. In 1224 Theodore reconquered Thessalonica from the Latins and founded &quot;The Empire of Thessalonica&quot;. In 1230 he invaded Bulgarian territory and lost his army and was captured by Ivan (a.k.a. John) II Asen, the Bulgarian Tsar. Initially treated well, he was blinded after plotting against Ivan. Amazingly, that was not the end of his political involvement. After many more complicated events, Ivan&#039;s first wife died during an epidemic (throughout history epidemics have killed many people) and Theodore managed to persuade Ivan to take his, Theodore&#039;s, daughter, Irene (who then was renamed Anna) as his new wife. As father-in-law of the Tsar, he was released, went back to Thessalonica in disguise, and deposed his brother, Manuel Comnenus-Ducas, in 1237 and installed his son, John Comnenus-Ducas, who was &quot;emperor&quot; only until 1242 and then was obliged to accept the lessor title of &quot;despot&quot; and acknowledge John III Comnenus-Dukas, emperor of Nicaea, as overload. John III of Nicaea took full control in 1246.&nbsp; (This is only one of many sequences of events where history is truly &quot;Byzantine.&quot;)</p><p><br /></p><p>Show us a coin from one of the Byzantine regions during the time when the Latins held Constantinople.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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