Featured The trouble with t̶r̶i̶b̶b̶l̶e̶s̶ trachys

What an interesting message: Saint Demetrius and Andronikos on the ”obverse” and then Michael receiving the blessing and crown from Andronikos on the ”reverse.”

 

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See here for more info on the trachies (and plenty more besides):

http://glebecoins.net/paleos/home.html

Ross G.

 

Thank you, I know the website and I have been reading most of your articles. I think you are doing great work.

 

A spec that you will no doubt appreciate:

 

What an informative thread. I only have a couple of these - common ones that I think I figured out. The other day I got this one, which looks weird to me. It is very thin, but only slightly dished - it almost looks clipped. Who'd bother?

I looked at a lot of pictures and came up with a guess, but I am probably wrong. If anybody can set me in the right direction, I'd be much obliged:



Empire of Nicaea Æ Trachy
John III Ducas-Vatatzes (?)
(1222-1254 A.D.)
Thessalonica Mint
Bust of Christ ? / Half-length figure of emperor
holding labarum-headed (?) sceptre and globus.
(1.50 grams / 18 mm)
SB 2134?

 

It's a Latin issue from Constantinople, Sear 2024, DOC 4, Malloy 4, Hendy Type D, from around the early 1220s.

 

Attached is a Isac II, Alex IV from Trebizon (S._, DO 12.3) which I'm very happy to have. Found it in a local coin shop labled "Arab-Imitation" Thank you very much. Took a bit of digging to attribute; I love puzzles.

Well done info site Ross. Cheers to all.

 

Many thanks, seth77 - I appreciate the information/correction!

 

Glad I could help

 

I tried hard to stay away of the trachys, but one day I got three just to test the feeling of holding one. Managed to attribute none. So I will try harder to stay away of the trachys in the future, but since I got them - help, please (first one below; others still to be photographed).

 

Well the obverse is the Virgin Seated with child , what is confusing is the reverse is double struck showing two characters instead of one. I say it is an Isaac II SBCV-2003

 

Isaac II SBCV -2003

 

Yes, I believe you are right. With the double-strike, everything makes sense now. It is interesting how the upper half of the body on the right disappeared.

 

And the other two. Meanwhile I searched a bit with Dane's Excel for trachys and I believe I have an Alexius III - Sear 2012 and an Alexius III - Sear 2013.

 

An older trachy that I picked up earlier in the year. Just got around to properly attributing it while doing some weekend work. A bit soft in some areas, but it has the full legend...

Kingdom of Thessalonica: Theodoros Comnenus-Ducas (1224-1230) Æ Trachy, Thessalonica (Sear 2165; DOC IV Type D, 7; Lianta 329-31)

Obv: IC XC in field; Christ, bearded and nimbate, seated upon throne without back; r. hand raised in benediction, holds Gospel in left hand. Pellet normally in each limb of nimbus cross; Star to right above throne
Rev: ΘЄOΔШPOC ΔϪK - X/M; Full-length figure of emperor on left, and of St. Michael nimbate, giving model of the city of Thessalonica with three towers into the hands of the emperor; Emperor wears stemma, divitision, collar-piece and jeweled loros of simplified type; right hand hold labarum-headed scepter; Saint wears divitision, collar-piece and panelled loros of simplified type; left hand holds jeweled scepter; Manus Dei in upper center field
Dim: 29mm, 3.10 g

 

Trachy identification is hard! Even experts get the attributions wrong at times. This particular coin was identified as Sear 2297 but its really Sear 2366!

Byzantine Empire: Andronicus II Palaeologus (1282-1328) Æ Trachy, Thessalonica (Sear 2366; Grierson 1433; LPC 208.8)

Obv: Long cross with wing to left
Rev: Three-quarter length figures of Andronicus left, and St. Demetrius right with large cross between them
Dim: 21mm, 1.04 g



As reference, here is Sear 2297:

Byzantine Empire: Michael VIII Palaeologus (1261-1282) Æ Trachy, Thessalonica (Sear-2297; DOC 147-50)

Obv: The Archangel Michael standing facing, holding labarum and sword
Rev: Half-length facing figures of Michael, holding cruciform scepter, and St. Demetrius, holding spear, supporting staff surmounted by cross within circle between them

 

For an online Byzantine catalog see here:

https://coins.labarum.info/catalog

or here:

http://labarum.info/lbr/?sf_refsear...Search&sf_state=&sf_ruler=&sf_mint=&sf_denom=

 

Picked up another one of these "Trachy/Token/Medal" of Alexios and John Asen. This one has a better strike, but is a brockage and has been damaged a bit.

 

What an excellent strike and possibly the best example for the fact that:

1. both figures are male (Despotes, so an ID of Anna de Savoia is now very unlikely, finally)

2. the coinage is NOT by any stretch an imperial one.

 

Based on the previous analysis done by Morrisson, the conclusion was that it was not an imperial issue based on the Venetian-style headdress on both figures. The obverse has already been deciphered as St. Demetrios orans within the city walls. However, the coin is still classified as Unknown as opposed to Bendall's Alexios/John theory...

I don't have any of my references or equipment so I can't take any detailed pictures. These are the seller's pics. I want to see if I can get a better view of the legends, but it might still be enigmatic