Featured The trouble with t̶r̶i̶b̶b̶l̶e̶s̶ trachys

This is from a handful of Latin trachys that showed up somewhere (ebay?) all at once, several years ago. All of this type, imitating Manuel I Komnenos, in this condition range. Love how the legend manages the Greek of Manuel's name --unlke most of his official issues!

 

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This is S.2104 of John III Ducas-Vatatzes.

The obverse reads "O AGIOC ThEODWPOC" and the reverse "IW DECPiOTHC O DovKAC".

Ross G.

 

Many, Many Thanks! ...Okay, St. Theodore. Another martial saint, with St.s George, Michael et al.

 

A really nice specimen! Here is mine with the full attribution...

Empire of Nicaea: John III Ducas-Vatazes (1222-1254) BI Trachy, Magnesia (Sear 2104; DOC IV, Type P 50; Lianta 252-53)

Obv: Ο AΓΙΟC ΘЄΟΔШΡΟC in two columnar groups. Half-length figure of St. Theodore nimbate, wearing tunic and breastplate; right hand holds sword, resting over shoulder; left hand holds shield.
Rev: IШ ΔЄCΠOTHC O ΔϪKAC in two columnar groups. Full-length figure of emperor wearing stemma, divitision, jeweled loros of simplified type and sagion; right hand holds labarum-headed scepter; left hand holds patriarchal cross on globe, which he holds by the shaft.

 

While time is my enemy and thus it prevents me from photographing a large set of trachaea that I amassed over the years, here are a few unknown ones (have several others that needs to be photographed) that I haven't been able to attribute. They are not in Sears, DOC, Lianta, or CLBC...

 

Unknown, but published. Apparently, one of four known...

Coinage of Uncertain Rulers (1204-1261) BI Trachy, Thessalonica? (CLBC 16.3)

Obv: Full-length figure of Virgin nimbate, orans, wearing tunic and maphorion; holds beardless, nimbate head of Christ on breast
Rev: Full-length figure of senior ruler on left, with short rounded beard, and of junior ruler on right, beardless, holding between them patriarchal cross on long shaft. Both rulers wear stemma, divitision, collar-piece, and jeweled loros of simplified type, and hold scepters

 

Yikes, @Quant.Geek, that's an impressive number of references where they're not. Very best of luck....

 

The first one is a bit iffy as it might be Sear 2042, but I am not sure. It looks a bit like it if you use your imagination...

Latin Empire of Constantinople: Anonymous (1204-1261) Æ Trachy, Constantinople (Sear 2042; DOC IV, Type V 22; Lianta 89-93)

Obv: Ο ΛΓΙΟC; Full-length figure of beardless and nimbate saint wearing short military tunic, breastplate and sagion; right hand holds spear; left hand holds shield
Rev: KOMNHNOC; Emperor seated upon throne with back, wearing stemma, divitision, collar-piece and jeweled loros of simplified type; right hand holds labarum-headed scepter; left hand holds globus cruciger

 

Yes, the top one is the Latin type Sear 2042 (misd.), CLBC 11.21.1:



The second is probably S.2101 of John III (see Labarum catalog example).

The third is S.2096 of John III:

 

Thanks Ross. What threw me off was the extended arm of Christ which is not what I would expect. Here is one of my other so-called Sear-2101 and the Labarum specimen...


Empire of Nicaea: John III Ducas-Vatazes (1222-1254) BI Trachy, Magnesia (Sear-2101; DOC IV, Type M 47; Lianta 243-46)

Obv: IC XC in field; Full-length figure of Christ, standing on dais?; left hand holds Gospel
Rev: IШ O, KШ or IШ O KШ; Full-length figure of emperor on left, and of St. Constantine, nimbate; between them sword, half-sheathed, point downward. Emperor and saint wear stemma, divitision, collar-piece and jeweled loros of simplified type; both rest hand on shield, emperor's right hand, saint's left hand)
Dim: 27 mm, 1.46 g, 6 h







Note that the extended arm is very similar to coins found in Bulgaria which I have not noticed in Byzantine coins of this period...

 

Chaining with my previous post. Bulgarian tracheae are also interesting...

Bulgaria, Second Empire: Mihail Asen III Šišman (1323–1330) Æ Trachy, Veliko Turnovo (Raduchev & Zhekov 1.12.1; Youroukova & Penchev 65; Dobrinić & Dimnik 8.2.1; Dochev 1790)

Obv: MXAHΛ IШANN; Mihail Šišman (to left) and Ivan Stefan (to right) standing facing, holding long cross between them
Rev: Šišman tamgha
Dim: 22mm, 1.95 g, 12h

 

One almost never sees them that well preserved with full legend.

Now back to back to early 14th century Palaeologan:

 

Sear 2372? (http://labarum.info/lbr/show.php?coin=23720)

 

That was my id also. Scarce and cutish for ca. 10EUR.

 

Nobody ever mentions it but the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham,UK has the finest and largest collection of Byzantine coins in the UK.


I don't like Byzantine coins or Xristian iconography, but do give it a whirl.

 

Any particular reason why you don't like Byzantine coins or Xristian iconography? I am not Christian, myself, but find them fascinating (applies to all religions, in fact) from a historical point of view...

 

I think of the ancient world ending with Xristianity and the rise of monotheism-the Jews/Zoroastrians essentially were not interested in propagating their views. I don't like the art-it's childish- and the coins are poor to atrocious.
As Byzantine collectors often admit,it's an acquired taste .
But still the Barber Institute of F.A. has a fine extensive collection.

 

@NewStyleKing, regarding the aesthetics of Byzantines, one way to acquire the taste is to see them as representing an artistic merger of Classicism with impulses from further East. That's where you get the pronounced level of continuity between the coins, and mosaics and ikons. (...Which went on to influence 20th century artists working in more Cubist idioms; the American Romare Bearden is one, who explicitly acknowledged as much.) Then again, if you don't care for those, I'm out of suggestions....

 

Byzantine coinage and particularly trachea and later Palaiologan coinage is not for everyone. And that's ok.

 

@seth77, hear! hear! As we know, the principle can be applied a little more broadly than that...