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<p>[QUOTE="The Trachy Enjoyer, post: 6447975, member: 118358"]I came across a seller on eBay selling a large quantity of trachys. Their listing price was high but I was able to negotiate down and buy the 55 trachy coin lot at under $2 a coin. I was not sure if this was a lot picked through by the seller but after identifying the coins, there were some rarities included (as well very nice examples of more common specimens). I also was not sure if this was a mixture of different sources but all the trachys have the same Patina/coloring. This leads me to the conclusion that what I bought was a “hoard”, an unchecked lot of coins from the same location. That being said, to what degree these were combined or checked I cannot be certain. I will refer to the lot as a hoard but keep in mind that is not confirmed.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256377[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>When I first bought this lot, I knew nothing about trachys. I could not tell heads from tails or even identify a single coin. I wished to identify the hoard, however, and so began the process of identifying them. As any trachy collector can tell you, it was nearly impossible when starting out. Unlike Roman coins, most trachys have no surviving legend and even if present, are in a language most cannot read. Unlike Greek coins, designs are small and often wretched. Mint errors occur at an alarming rate with brockage errors almost being the norm. Coins were struck flat and often show little to no detail.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256378[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Chess has the adagem: Easy to learn, hard to master. I have found with trachys it is the opposite: Hard to learn, easy to master. It is overwhelming to begin with and takes many hours of practice to become proficient (especially post 1204). Once you have a basic understanding, however, it becomes very easy to identify.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Fast forward a few months after I had received my trachy lot, and I had invested a lot of my time into learning about these coins. I had been dreading identifying all of this hoard since I got it, but decided it was time. Here are my findings:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256373[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Analysis:</u></b></p><p><b>POST 1204:</b></p><p><i>John Gabalas: </i></p><p>x1 Sear ----</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Manuel Komenus Ducas: </i></p><p>x1 sear 2177</p><p>x1 sear 2182</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Theodore I Komenus Ducas:</i></p><p>x1 Sear 2070</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Latin Empire:</i></p><p>x29 Sear 2021</p><p>x1 Sear 2023</p><p>x5 Sear 2024</p><p>x2 Sear 2025</p><p>x1 Sear 2034</p><p>x1 Sear 2036</p><p>x1 Sear 2038</p><p>x2 Sear 2055</p><p>x1 Sear 2057</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Bulgarian imitative?:</i></p><p>x1 Sear 2021 (Latin type)</p><p>x1 Sear 2024 (Latin type)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>PRE 1204:</b></p><p><i>Alexius III:</i></p><p>x3 Sear 2012 (1 of 3 clipped)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Manuel I:</i></p><p>x2 Sear 1964 (Both clipped)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Unidentified:</i></p><p>x1 Christ obverse, St Demetrius Reverse? </p><p><b>A total of 55 trachys</b></p><p><b><u>Notes and Conclusions:</u></b></p><p>The coin which most stands out is that of John Gabalas, master of Rhodes and Megas Doux/Sebastokrator of the empire of Nicaea. Coinage in post 1204 “Byzantine” Rhodes is exceedingly scare. The island was first ruled by John's brother Leo, until he himself took over in 1240. In 1248, the island fell to Genoa. Of John Gabalas, only one coin has come up for sale ever in acsearch of coinarchives. I could find next to no information on this rarity except for the single entry in DOC IV. The John coin is sadly about 75% off center, but with such rarity I can hardly complain. This coin also helps to conveniently date the hoard (if it indeed is one or a part of one) to being buried sometime around 1250 or afterwards. The coin is not a trachy but flat AE, aniconic and crude.</p><p><i>Obv: +ΙWΑ(ΝΝΗC Ο) ΓΑ(ΒΑΛΑC) - John Gabalas</i></p><p><i><i>Rev: (Ο ΑVΘΕΝΤΗC) ΤΗC ΡΟ(ΔΟV) - Master of Rhodes</i></i></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256392[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Another aspect of note were two trachys of Manuel I Komenus Ducas, Despot of Thessalonica. His coinage is also scarce, with no types being common. I would not have expected to find a single coin of his, yet there were two. Perhaps this can help locate the origin of these coins to Thessalonica or its surrounding region.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256389[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The amount of Theodore I trachys (1) is about what I would expect in a lot/hoard of this size. The style is unusually nice but the flan is missing a chuck in the right field.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The lot was described as a Latin Empire hoard, so it came as no surprise that the majority of coins were Latin in origin. In post 1204 Byzantium, Latin coinage is by far the most common. A wide variety of types were found in the lot, some of especially nice quality. 29 examples of Sear 2021 stands out, but this type is the most common of the Latin trachys. It is my theory that as the Latin Empire declined in prosperity, these became the sole type of trachy minted. They always appear on smaller flans and of worse style than other Latin types.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1256381[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1256383[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1256387[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]1256388[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Bulgarian imitative coinage is to be expected. These are pretty common and often resemble the official issues but are much more rounded and the designs are comprised of pellets. I have also seen theories online that Bulgarian imitative coinage could be military in origin, from a Byzantine outpost or camp. This is an interesting idea and could help to explain the wide extent and variety of Bulgarian imitative trachys.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A few pre 1204 trachys were included in the hoard. Of note, most were clipped, This was probably taken to conform the earlier issues to the later, lighter weight trachy economy.</p><p><br /></p><p>I hope you all enjoyed this post![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="The Trachy Enjoyer, post: 6447975, member: 118358"]I came across a seller on eBay selling a large quantity of trachys. Their listing price was high but I was able to negotiate down and buy the 55 trachy coin lot at under $2 a coin. I was not sure if this was a lot picked through by the seller but after identifying the coins, there were some rarities included (as well very nice examples of more common specimens). I also was not sure if this was a mixture of different sources but all the trachys have the same Patina/coloring. This leads me to the conclusion that what I bought was a “hoard”, an unchecked lot of coins from the same location. That being said, to what degree these were combined or checked I cannot be certain. I will refer to the lot as a hoard but keep in mind that is not confirmed. [ATTACH=full]1256377[/ATTACH] When I first bought this lot, I knew nothing about trachys. I could not tell heads from tails or even identify a single coin. I wished to identify the hoard, however, and so began the process of identifying them. As any trachy collector can tell you, it was nearly impossible when starting out. Unlike Roman coins, most trachys have no surviving legend and even if present, are in a language most cannot read. Unlike Greek coins, designs are small and often wretched. Mint errors occur at an alarming rate with brockage errors almost being the norm. Coins were struck flat and often show little to no detail. [ATTACH=full]1256378[/ATTACH] Chess has the adagem: Easy to learn, hard to master. I have found with trachys it is the opposite: Hard to learn, easy to master. It is overwhelming to begin with and takes many hours of practice to become proficient (especially post 1204). Once you have a basic understanding, however, it becomes very easy to identify. Fast forward a few months after I had received my trachy lot, and I had invested a lot of my time into learning about these coins. I had been dreading identifying all of this hoard since I got it, but decided it was time. Here are my findings: [ATTACH=full]1256373[/ATTACH] [B][U]Analysis:[/U] POST 1204:[/B] [I]John Gabalas: [/I] x1 Sear ---- [I]Manuel Komenus Ducas: [/I] x1 sear 2177 x1 sear 2182 [I]Theodore I Komenus Ducas:[/I] x1 Sear 2070 [I]Latin Empire:[/I] x29 Sear 2021 x1 Sear 2023 x5 Sear 2024 x2 Sear 2025 x1 Sear 2034 x1 Sear 2036 x1 Sear 2038 x2 Sear 2055 x1 Sear 2057 [I]Bulgarian imitative?:[/I] x1 Sear 2021 (Latin type) x1 Sear 2024 (Latin type) [B]PRE 1204:[/B] [I]Alexius III:[/I] x3 Sear 2012 (1 of 3 clipped) [I]Manuel I:[/I] x2 Sear 1964 (Both clipped) [I]Unidentified:[/I] x1 Christ obverse, St Demetrius Reverse? [B]A total of 55 trachys [U]Notes and Conclusions:[/U][/B] The coin which most stands out is that of John Gabalas, master of Rhodes and Megas Doux/Sebastokrator of the empire of Nicaea. Coinage in post 1204 “Byzantine” Rhodes is exceedingly scare. The island was first ruled by John's brother Leo, until he himself took over in 1240. In 1248, the island fell to Genoa. Of John Gabalas, only one coin has come up for sale ever in acsearch of coinarchives. I could find next to no information on this rarity except for the single entry in DOC IV. The John coin is sadly about 75% off center, but with such rarity I can hardly complain. This coin also helps to conveniently date the hoard (if it indeed is one or a part of one) to being buried sometime around 1250 or afterwards. The coin is not a trachy but flat AE, aniconic and crude. [I]Obv: +ΙWΑ(ΝΝΗC Ο) ΓΑ(ΒΑΛΑC) - John Gabalas[/I] [I][I]Rev: (Ο ΑVΘΕΝΤΗC) ΤΗC ΡΟ(ΔΟV) - Master of Rhodes[/I][/I] [ATTACH=full]1256392[/ATTACH] Another aspect of note were two trachys of Manuel I Komenus Ducas, Despot of Thessalonica. His coinage is also scarce, with no types being common. I would not have expected to find a single coin of his, yet there were two. Perhaps this can help locate the origin of these coins to Thessalonica or its surrounding region. [ATTACH=full]1256389[/ATTACH] The amount of Theodore I trachys (1) is about what I would expect in a lot/hoard of this size. The style is unusually nice but the flan is missing a chuck in the right field. The lot was described as a Latin Empire hoard, so it came as no surprise that the majority of coins were Latin in origin. In post 1204 Byzantium, Latin coinage is by far the most common. A wide variety of types were found in the lot, some of especially nice quality. 29 examples of Sear 2021 stands out, but this type is the most common of the Latin trachys. It is my theory that as the Latin Empire declined in prosperity, these became the sole type of trachy minted. They always appear on smaller flans and of worse style than other Latin types. [ATTACH=full]1256381[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1256383[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1256387[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]1256388[/ATTACH] Bulgarian imitative coinage is to be expected. These are pretty common and often resemble the official issues but are much more rounded and the designs are comprised of pellets. I have also seen theories online that Bulgarian imitative coinage could be military in origin, from a Byzantine outpost or camp. This is an interesting idea and could help to explain the wide extent and variety of Bulgarian imitative trachys. A few pre 1204 trachys were included in the hoard. Of note, most were clipped, This was probably taken to conform the earlier issues to the later, lighter weight trachy economy. I hope you all enjoyed this post![/QUOTE]
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