Zimm

@seth77 That trachy truly has wonderful eye appeal, even more so considering it's a Latin type. I was considering bidding on that very same coin when I first saw it on eBay, but ultimately decided against it in order to save money for some bigger purchases, as I was, and still am, on quite a low budget, which will probably last until the end of the year. I did have a few nice trachies arrive in the last few days though; some nicer than the others and some scarcer than the others. Michael VIII - Sear 2262 (Magnesia?) It doesn't look like a special coin at first glance, but in fact this is quite a scarce one with only a handful of examples I was able to find online. It wasn't nice enough to be featured on my top 10 list so I thought I'd share it here instead. Michael VIII - 2279 (Constaintople?/Magnesia?) Despite the two deep sratches on the obverse, the coin has excellent eye appeal in hand. In addition, this is another quite scarce type that I was happy to acquire earlier this month. Andronicus II & Andronicus II - Sear 2464 (Constantinople) Out of all my recent wins, this one is probably in the worst condition overall. However it is of a type I thought I wouldn't be able to acquire for years to come (partially due to its rarity, but mostly due to its price), so having finally been able to find one, all I can is that I am very happy with it (despite the abysmal condition).

Seeing how everyone else here on the forums is posting their top coins of the year, I started to feel obligated to also compile a list of my own. This year saw me change focus from earlier Byzantine and Roman coins to solely collecting late Byzantine (AE) coinage. To reflect this change this year’s list will not include any of the (few) new Roman coins I bought near the beginning of the year, but rather just trachea. Although the coins aren’t what most people here on forums collect, I do hope fellow trachy collectors, and other curious collectors alike will enjoy my list. (Before I start with the list I must apologise for the awful pictures for some of the coins as I am not the greatest at taking them.) 10. Andronicus II - Sear: 2348A, DOC: -, LBC: 656 = PCPC 116.1 Obverse: St. George, wearing tunic, breastplate, and sagion, nimbate, holding spear over shoulder in right hand and shield in left hand, uncertain legend Reverse: Full-length figure of emperor, holding cruciform sceptre in left hand and globus cruciger in right hand, [manus dei in upper right field?], unclear legend This coin, unlike the other coins that will appear later on in the list, is not in necessarily great condition, nor does it have well-preserved legends, yet I love it nevertheless. As the sharp-eyed of you might have already noticed, on this type Andronicus is wearing a chlamys, like you would see on his tetartera and basilikons, instead of the traditional loros; a depiction which I personally love. Despite being worn, the coin also has great eye appeal thanks to its green patina. In addition, the type itself seems to be quite scarce. All in all, I was able to find only a handful of examples of the coin catalogued online, hence making it worthy of appearing on this list. 9. John III - Sear: 2090 = DOC: 36, LBC: - Obverse: St. George, wearing tunic, breastplate and sagion, nimbate, holding spear in right hand, holding shield in left hand, [Ο ΑΓΙΟC] ΓΕWΡ Reverse: Full-length figure of emperor on left, crowned by Christ standing on dais on right, bearded, nimbate, holding Book of Gospels. Emperor wears stemma, divitision, and chlamys; holds in right hand labarum-headed sceptre, and in left, globus cruciger, IC - XC, ΙW ΔΕCΠ Ο ΔꙋK[AC?] Like the previous coin, this coin appears on my list only due to its scarcity. I was only able to find five examples of the type online, though the figure is likely higher as I don't have access to all publications. Despite the extensive pitting on the obverse, the reverse is surprisingly clear and well-struck and has far more details preserved than other specimens, especially when it comes to the legend. For instance, the example that appears in DOC has its legend cut off at “IW ΔE”, and due to the flan being so small, doesn’t show the dais Christ is standing on. That is why I felt compelled to include this coin on my list. 8. Theodore I - Sear: 2067, DOC: 7, LBC 186-7 Obverse: Full-length figure of Christ, bearded, nimbate, holding Book of Gospels in left hand, IC - XC, ✚ on either side Reverse: Full-length figure of emperor on the left, full-length figure of St. Theodore, nimbate, on the right, figures holding a long labarum between one another. Emperor wearing stemma, divetesion and loros, holding akakia in right hand, sword hanging from waist on left side. St. Theodore wearing tunic and breastplate, holding spear over shoulder in left hand, sword hanging from right side of waist. Uncertain legend. I have no real reason for including this type on my list other than that it’s in great condition for the type. Whilst, admittedly, it is from the scarcer end of Theodore’s issues, it’s not all that rare when compared to the post-1204 trachea as a whole. Regardless, I decided to include it on my list since it’s supposed to reflect which new coins I enjoyed getting the most this year after all. 7. John III - Sear 2089, DOC 35, LBC 219-223 Obverse: St. Michael, wearing tunic, breastplate and sagion, holding sword over shoulder in right hand, holding globus in left hand, uncertain legend Reverse: Full-length figure of emperor on left, crowned by Christ on right, bearded, nimbate, holding Book of Gospels. Emperor wears stemma, divitision, and chlamys; holds in right hand akakia, and in left, globus cruciger. left hand, IC - XC, ΙW ΔΕCΠ Ο ΔꙋKAC This, like the previous coin on my list, I included simply due to how much I liked its appearance. St. Michael on the obverse (even if the picture makes it hard to see it), as well as the emperor on the reverse, are both portrayed in extraordinarily fine style. In addition to its fine style, the coin also features virtually complete reverse legends and appears to be in extremely fine condition overall. For the reasons given I decided to grant it the #7 spot on my list. 6. Andronicus II - Sear 2352, DOC 588-9, LBC 657-9, PCPC 120.1-3 Obverse: Seraph, four pellets in each corner Reverse: Full-length figure of emperor, wearing stemma, divetesion and loros, holding in right hand cruciform sceptre and in left hand akakia, ΑΝΔΡΟΝΙΚΟ ΔΗ[C]ΠΟΤΗC Ο ΠΑΛΕΟΛΟΓΟϹ Although Sear 2352 isn’t a necessarily rare type, I had to include it on the list simply due to the fact that the legend on the reverse was virtually fully struck. Trachea with legends this clear and complete are something you don’t see every day. In addition, the obverse type with the seraph is also very sought-after, so I was delighted to get it in that regard as well. Due to the aforementioned two factors, I decided to include the coin on my list. 5. Manuel Komnenos Doukas - Sear 2177, DOC 3, LBC 346-350 Obverse: St. Demetrius, nimbate, wearing tunic, breastplate and sagion, holding in right hand spear and in left hand small sword, Ο ΑΓΙΟC ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟC Reverse: Full-length figure of emperor on left, crowned by Christ, nimbate, on right, emperor wearing stemma, divetesion and chlamys, holding sceptre in right hand and in left hand akakia, star in right field, MANꙋHΛ ΔΕϹ, ΙϹ ΧϹ Of all the Thessalonican coins I acquired this year, this trachy of Manuel Komnenos Doukas was probably the finest example. From the moment I saw this listed for auction, I knew I had to get it. I completely fell in love with the details retained on the emperor and Christ, as well as the fine style in which St. Demetrius is engraved on the obverse. There isn’t much else to say about this coin other than that it looks astonishing. 4. John III - Sear 2106 var; Sear -, DOC -, LBC- Obverse: Bust of Christ, nimbate, holding scroll in left hand, right hand raised in benediction, IC XC, KE.. [PO?] Reverse: Full-length figure of emperor, wearing stemma, divetesion, loros and sagion, holding akakia in right hand and globus cruciger in left hand. [IW?] ΔΕCΠOT Ο ΔꙋKAC This, along with all the three subsequent entries on this list, has earned its place this high on the list due to a feature they all share; they are all (apparently) unpublished. This first example might at first glance appear like a standard example of Sear 2106, but in fact, this example seems to be a hitherto unknown variant of the already relatively scarce type. In addition to the standard obverse legend of “IC XC (= Jesus Christ)”, there’s also the beginning of a secondary inscription; “KE”. There aren’t many legends beginning with the letter combination “KE” with Christ on the obverse. The only real contender would be ΚΕΡΟ ΗΘΕΙ (= KYRIE BOETHEI = Lord help) (or a variant of it). The coin in question has not yet arrived in the mail, but once it does, I might provide a more in-depth post on it here on Numis Forums (should I be able to, with confidence, figure out the latter half of the inscription). 3. John III - Sear -, DOC -, LBC - Obverse: Full-length figure of Mary, nimbate, seated upon throne with back, holding head of Christ on breast, MP - ϴV Reverse: Half-length figure of emperor wearing stemma, divetesion, and loros; holding labarum-headed sceptre in right hand, globus cruciger in left hand This coin I’ve already discussed in another post here on Numisforums. Like the previous entry on the list, this coin is this high on the list also due to it being an unpublished type. Although there are some half-length and full-length bust types similar to this one, none are an exact match (For half-length types there isn’t a matching type recorded with Mary on the obverse, and for types with Mary on the obverse, only full-length busts are known). Due to this reason I have decided to grant this coin the number three spot on my list. (As to the attribution to John III, neither Theodore I nor Theodore II is known to have issued half-length bust types, hence the attribution to him.) 2. Andronicus II & Unclear Second Emperor - Sear -, DOC -, LBC -, LPC -, PCPC - Obverse: Christ, nimbate, seated upon throne without back, holding Book of Gospels in left hand, IC - XC Reverse: Emperor on left side, bearded, wearing stemma and divetesion, holding right hand close to chest, emperor on right side, wearing stemma and divetesion holding left hand close to chest, emperors holding long patriarchal cross between one another, ΑΝ...[Δ]ΕϹΠΟΤΗϹ This coin was one of the most perplexing coins I bought this year. It was also discussed in a previous thread of mine here on the forums, but I’ll give a short summary of it; The trachy is most likely an issue of Andronicus II (as the legend names the first emperor as an Andronicus) with an uncertain second emperor (both Michael IX and Andronicus III were portrayed with beards, and the coin is weakly struck where the second emperor’s name would be). The style, however, is of inferior quality than that of Constantinople or Thessalonica, but far better than some irregular issues that are of a similar type (also note how this coin has very clear and legible legends in perfect Greek), hence making a provincial attribution a likely option. Until a second example with clearer legends, or other features that would make an attribution possible, appear, this coin will remain a mystery. Regardless, this coin earned the #2 spot on my list due to being my only unpublished Palaeologan type. 1. Theodore I - Sear -, DOC -, LBC - (/79-80?) Obverse: Facing bust of Christ (Pantokrator), bearded, nimbate, holding Book of Gospels IC – XC Reverse: Theodore I on the left, Saint Constantine(?) on the right, holding globus cruciger between them. Emperor wearing stemma, divetesion and chlamys, holding cruciform sceptre(?) in right hand. Saint wearing stemma, divetesion and loros, holding cruciform sceptre in left hand. …Δω… on left, O on top, uncertain letters on right. This coin I have not yet discussed here on the forums due to the (until recently) uncertain attribution of the coin. For a long time, I had dismissed the coin, following Lianta’s attribution of a similar, albeit far more irregular, type in LBC, as an issue of John III (Before acquiring Lianta’s work I had the coin attributed as a possibly unpublished issue of an uncertain Nicaean emperor). However, as I recently was flipping through the pages of LBC again, I stumbled upon the type once more and remarked how different the style was from my coin, which prompted me to take a closer look at my example again. I had previously noticed how there was a triangle-shaped letter on the left side of the reverse (a gamma, delta or an alpha), but had foolishly assumed every other letter of the legend had been erased due to wear, a weak strike or corrosion. Now that I inspected the coin again, I made a most remarkable discovery; there was a second, albeit very faint, letter still preserved on the coin, an omega, making the legend spell out Δω (pictures below). Taking a look at the list of emperors from that time, neither Alexius (whose types this very closely resembles), John nor any other emperor from the 12th-14th centuries had a name, whose beginning would have the letters Δω in it, with one exception, Theodore. With a bit of research, I was also able to find a second example of the type (struck with the same reverse die as my example) that was offered for sale at a CNG auction a few years ago (https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3296145). (Raw photos of the legend fragment) (Edited photo with enhanced contrast) What is important to note, is that unlike the (rather irregular and considerably smaller) examples Lianta presents in LBC (https://hcr.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coin/hcr53455 from the Whittemore collection), the CNG example and the one I have are of far superior (seemingly) official style Nicene style, making the possibility of it being a contemporary imitation rather slim (also important to note is the size of my example at 30mm and 2.49g in contrast to Lianta‘s at 22mm and 1.1g (picture below)). Thessalonican coins on the other hand were struck in an entirely different style, and the emperor wasn’t portrayed with this type of chlamys, making a Thessalonican issue unlikely. The saint on the right side of the reverse, despite the lack of legible legends, can, with a certain level of confidence, be identified as St. Constantine due to the imperial regalia the saint wears, and the short beard he is portrayed with. The weight of the coin itself, the rough flans, and the type of regalia worn by the emperor, are most in line with those of the early Nicaean Empire. John III can be ruled out due to the legend naming the emperor as one bearing the name of Theodore. However, making the distinction between Theodore I and Theodore II is more difficult. However I, personally, have attributed the coin to Theodore I due to two factors, the style used, and the regalia of the emperor. Theodore I, and admittedly some scarcer issues of John III, portray the emperor with the same sort of chlamys with a half-circle design in the centre. This design, aside from a singular tetarteron, wasn’t used by Theodore II Laskaris. In addition, the rough style of the coin would be odd for Theodore II, whose coins were minted at already properly established mints at Magnesia and Thessalonica. Hence Theodore I, whose reign saw the establishment of new mints in Nicaea and later Magnesia, would seemingly be a more likely candidate for this rather rough coinage. Despite the examples provided by Lianta from the Whittemore collection (Originally found at Sardis in Asia Minor (N. Chron. 1973, 1047-9, discussed by Bendall in N. Circ. 1978, p.178,1)) being of a completely different (and irregular) style (and of much lower weight and diameter), they do (seemingly?) feature the same design as the two other, seemingly official, examples. The Sardis coins have been a subject of debate ever since they were discovered, with attributions ranging from John III and Theodore II to a hitherto undiscovered Latin issue. I am not yet sure if these coins are, indeed, of the same type, or just coincidentally happen to feature a very similar design. (Important to note is also the fact that there were no coins found at Sardis that were issued after the reign of John III, which is why Simon Bendall was against the attribution as Theodore II, which is also the opinion I hold). However, due to the differences in style and size, I am personally not yet sure what to think of these more irregular types, if they even are related to the type I have acquired in the first place. Now, to end my summary of the type, I have come up with a theory for what this coin of Theodore I might be. I would like you to keep in mind, however, that this is merely a theory, and I have no concrete evidence to back it up. Due to the crude style of the coin, and its similarity to the coins of Alexius III (the last significant issue of trachea before the fourth crusade), I am led to believe the coin in question could, in fact, be one of the early types struck by Theodore after fleeing to Asia-Minor and establishing his dominion there. The irregular flan shape, the still not fully developed Nicaean engraving style (note the crude but yet detailed design) and the type being so similar to those of Alexius III would all hint toward it. Considering how Theodore was of lowly descent compared to the Angeloi, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that to make the change of leadership less noticeable, he would make his first coins bear imagery in use by his predecessor. This imitation of Angelid coinage could also be a result of Theodore trying to legitimise his claim to the throne as a continuation of the Angelid dynasty as he had married Alexius III’s daughter Anna, and received the title of despot from the former emperor. Now, as stated above, this is just a theory that I came up with, and I have no evidence to back it up. I merely saw fit to come up with a theory to explain the existence of the coin and the odd characteristics it has. -------------- And that’d be the end of my list. I do hope all of you enjoyed reading it, and I’d love to hear your opinions on it. Also, feel free to share related types in your own collections.

Here's a coin that I managed to win in an auction earlier this week: Manuel Komnenos Doukas - Sear 2177 - Thessalonica Obverse: St. Demetrius, nimbate, wearing tunic and breastplate, holding spear in right hand and hilt of sword in left. Reverse: Full-length figure of emperor on left, wearing stemma, divitision and chlamys, holding sceptre in right hand and akakia in left, crowned by Christ on right, nimbate, holding Book of Gospels.

Yes, that does seem to be a very similar type and I came across it while researching the type, though they are quite different. The main differences between that type and the one I have are as follows: 1. On my example the bust is clearly a half-length one as opposed to the full-length one seen on that example (and all other examples of the type), which is how it's described in all reference books. (Note the bust taking up almost all of the flan, stretching all the way from the left side to the right one, and the bust not extending below the emperor's waist. Also, as on most half-length bust types, the face itself is far more detailled when compared to full-length busts). 2. Although similar, the throne Mary is seated upon is different. The panels on the back of the throne have a very different design when compared to the example I have. 3. The style on the obverse is very different. The regalia (which, like you said, even differs in the type portrayed), the face and the bust as a whole are of very different style than the usual Sear 2095. I personally think that makes the coin different enough to be considered an unpublished type.

Those are wonderful examples. Sear 2251 has been one of my favourite types ever since I started collecting trachea, but the type has eluded me so far, so seeing you have one definitely makes me jealous 😅. Here is quite an interesting one I've yet to post here. Unlike the other unpublished type, which I was ultimately unable to confidently narrow to a single emperor (or rather a pair of emperors), this one has a portrait so distinctive of John III that you can't mistake it for anyone else. John III Vatatzes (1222-1254) - AE Trachy - Uncertain mint (Sear: -, DOC: -, LBC: -) Obv: Full-lenght figure of Mary, nimbate, seated upon throne with back, holding head of Christ on breast. [MP - ϴV] Rev: Half-lenght figure of emperor wearing stemma, divitision, and loros; holding labarum-headed sceptre in right hand, globus cruciger in left hand. [Unclear legend, if present] Here is second type which I for long believed to also be unpublished, but which I ended up finding in LBC later: John III Vatatzes (1222-1254) - AE Trachy - Uncertain mint (Sear:-, DOC:-, LBC: 278-280) Obv: Half-length figure of Christ, nimbate, holding Book of Gospels. IC - XC Rev: Full-length figure of emperor on left, wearing stemma, divitision, and chlamys, holding uncertain sceptre in right hand, uncertain saint on right, nimbate, wearing stemma, divitision, and loros, holding cruciform sceptre in left hand; figures holding globus cruciger between one another. [Uncertain legend]

Here are some more AE coins I bought recently: 1. Follaro of John VIII Even though in awful condition, I can't complain as I found the coin in a group lot. Luckily you can still make out the legend, hence making the attribution possible as Sear 2568. 2. Trachy of Alexius & Alexius Asen (?) This one is in even more awful condition than the one above, but at the same time is far rarer. I found this one misdescribed in a budget auction as a "Islamic Imitation of an uncertain Byzantine coin". Even though it's in awful condition, for the price of 10€ I can't complain (and as a budget collector I doubt I would have been able to afford a proper example anytime soon). 3. A Latin Trachy In an Unusual Style This one is the least impressive of the coins I've posted here thus far, but it does have an unusual portrait style. Unlike the usual example of Sear 2022 (which imitates Manuel's portraits), this one has a portrait more elongated than on average (with a forked beard?) and slimmer body proportions; features that you might see on Theodore I's coins. It also has quite an impressive flan and is quite hefty at 5.3g.

I had no idea silvered tetartera from Manuel's reign were that rare given how his trachea retain some silvering from time to time. Also, the picture I initially posted here was one given by the seller, which was a bit misleading. The silvering is for sure there, but it isn't as silvery as that photo would have you believe (when you don't shine a light directly at it). I found out earlier this week that this coin is, in fact, used on Labarum.info, and the picture used there shows how the coin looks in normal lighting (i.e. under lighting that doesn't highlight the silvering). In hand the coin's appearance lies somewhere between the two photos. When no extra light is shone at it, it looks closer to the picture used on Labarum, and when a light is purposefully shone at it, it looks more similar to the seller's pictures Also your tetarteron is in outstanding condition with virtually no flaws. Aside from the silvering, mine isn't in that great of a condition.

Those are some astonishing examples! I am very jealous of you, especially for the Sear 2226. The only examples of Sear 2486 I own are both badly chipped, like the following Of Sear 2089 I have a quite pleasing example with somewhat complete legends on the reverse:

Interesting, I‘ll need to look into Metcalf‘s studies more then. Those are great examples, I especially love the sharply struck seraph. Here‘s my example of Sear 2289, but there‘s not much to look at. I found it in a group lot earlier this year. Here‘s also my example of Sear 2352 where the Seraph design is much more clearly visible (Excuse the awful quality of the photo. I took it with my old phone that has a horrible camera)

Since there really isn‘t an existing thread for trachea here on the forums, I‘ll just share a few of my latest wins I got this week here. The coins I bought aren‘t in the greatest of conditions, but they fill gaps I still have in my collection. 1. Sear 2259 A rather common type, but an interesting type nonetheless as it was likely Michael VIII‘s first AE issue from Constantinople after its recapture from the Latins. It‘s also in quite nice condition. 2. Sear 2277 A possible Magnesian issue of Michael VIII. Whilst not rare, it‘s not as common as many other issues from the same period (many of the examples of 2277 on acsearch are misidentified Bulgarian issues, hence making it seem more common than it actually is). My example really isn‘t in great condition, but since it‘s a scarcer type, and I‘m on a budget, I can‘t complain. 3. Sear 1967 Although not in amazing shape, this city tetarteron of Manuel caught my attention. When minted, the billon tetartera from Constantinople were given a silver wash, though the thin silver layer wore off quickly. Even though the silvering isn‘t perfectly preserved on this example either, it‘s better than on most. 4. Sear 2090 A scarcer early issue of John III Vatatzes. Even though the reverse is in awful condition, you can still make out St. George on the obverse. Of the three types where John is crowned by Christ on the reverse (Sear 2089 with St. Michael on the obverse, 2090 with St. George, and 2091 with Mary), this type seems to be the rarest by far. I‘d love to see your examples of the same types or related ones.

That‘s a very attractive example! Far better than the budget example I currently have filling the gap for the type. Here‘s quite a nice portrait of Mary on a coin I won recently: John III Vatatzes - Empire of Nicaea: Sear 2100 Obv: Brockage Rev: Half-length figures of emperor and Mary, holding standard between each other, emperor holding cruciform sceptre.

Those certainly are fascinating. The designs are almost identical and the legends are very similar (assuming both the coins feature an emperor whose name was Andronikos). "…. PONIKOS…" on the clear Anatolian imitation and "AN…ECPOTHC" on mine. As I have already stated above, however, I believe the style to be too refined to blindly be grouped together with the imitations found at Kadikalesi. The detailed engraving, more realistic body proportions (and proper faces) as well as better-engraved letters would lead me to believe this issue was more alike to official ones (Note the inverted letters on the ones found at the dig site, the blundered legend on the obverse around Christ (Coin no. 25) and the overall poor style not much better than the Latin coins from centuries prior). In my opinion, the coin I’ve acquired is not much worse than worse than issues from cities like Philadelphia (though it is clearly inferior to Constantinople). As I was writing my reply, another theory came into my mind. Could the coin in question, due to it‘s far superior quality, be the original issue that the coins found at the site were were imitating? That would not only explain their shared designs but also why the other coins were of inferior quality. I have no evidence to back up the claim, but it‘d certainly be an interesting idea to entertain.

Update: Having now returned from a week-long holiday (during which I was understandably unable to inspect the coin in hand), I can confidently state that I have not only confirmed the first letter to be "A", but also that the second letter is "N" This would mean that the legend reads as following: "AN…[Δ]ЄCΠΟΤΗC" hence making it almost certain that at least one of the emperors was named Andronikos.

After a few days of research, and having discussed the coin with a fellow trachy collector, I have come up with a theory for what the coin could be. Although it might be a local imitation issue like discussed above, I‘d love to hear what you think about this new theory of mine. Here are the three pieces of evidence I have gathered for it so far: 1. The legend Even though the most of the legend is unclear, with only [Δ]ЄCΠΟΤΗC being legible (on the left side), on the right side there is a single crucial letter I can make out, an alpha. Although the despotes part doesn‘t help much, knowing that the legend starts with A narrows down the list of possible emperors quite a lot. 2. The portraits and the style From the pictures I have attached below, you can clearly see that both the emperors are bearded with very distinct beard styles. The one on the left has a more bushy and round/flat beard whereas the emperor on the right has a narrower and forked beard. In addition, the emperor with the bushy beard has his hand higher on the cross, marking his seniority. If we now have a look at all the possible emperors (who had co-rulers), the list can be narrowed down greatly. Michael VIII & Andronicus II can be ruled out due to Andronicus II not being bearded on (most of) their joint reign issues and the style being too different. In addition, the legend starts with A, hence marking the senior emperor on the left as the one whose name starts with A (which would in this case be Andronicus, which would be contradictory as Michael was the undisputed senior emperor) Andronicus II & Michael IX can be ruled out for stylistic reasons; Michael IX is almost always beardless (sometimes he is portrayed with a short round beard, not the elongated and sharp beard as seen on this coin). For John V & VI the style is wrong for the time period and the likelihood of it being from their reign is next to none. In addition the legend doesn‘t start with an A, hence ruling them out in that regard as well. Andronicus II & Andronicus III is where it gets interesting. In his later years, Andronicus II was portrayed with a flatter beard instead of the traditional forked beard used by emperors like Michael VIII or John III. Andronicus III on the other hand was portrayed with a thin, forked beard that extends all the way from the chin to where the stemma begins. (Picture of hyperpyron from their co-rule below as well as the portraits on my coin) 3. The size The coin weighs about 2.4g and is 22-24mm in diameter, which would roughly place it in the later half of the 13th or the earlier half of 14th century. For the reasons given I have reason to believe the coin could have been issued under the rule of Andronicus II & Andronicus III (due the legend, the size and the portraits). I‘m not sure what the mint could be (perhaps a provincial one?), but I do believe it could be an official issue due to the legends being in clear and legible Greek (even if provincial). I‘d love to hear your opinion on my theory.

Those are very interesting examples. Even though the style seems to be different from the example I have, the design is practically identical.

Recently, while scrolling through auction catalogues, a certain group lot caught my attention, namely a lot of 6 trachea. Whilst most of the coins in the lot were easily identifiable, one of them seemed quite odd, namely the one in the bottom left corner. Although the design itself was fairly standard, with Christ being seated on a backless throne on the obverse, and two emperors holding a cross between each other on the reverse, the style itself was peculiar. (And thanks to the poor quality of the image, I could not make out the legend properly, which made me doubt whether it was actually an official issue or not). Ultimately the lot ended up selling for very cheap, even without taking the perplexing coin into account, making me very happy with the purchase even before having the chance to inspect the coin in question. Now that I have the coin in hand, I still have no clue what it could be. The only thing that became clear was that the legend was, in fact, in Greek, hinting at it possibly being an official issue. I have done some research on my own but have found no matching examples. I’m not usually one to ask for help, but since I am at a complete loss, I see no other way to solve this enigma than to ask you fellow collectors who are more experienced in the field than I am. Below I have provided some further pictures of the coin from different angles and some remarks I’ve made: Obverse: Christ seated on a backless throne, holding the Book of Gospels, “IC - XC” Reverse: Two figures (emperors?) holding a patriarchal cross between each other, “… [Δ]ЄCΠΟΤΗC” I am also relatively confident, but not certain, that both of the two figures are bearded. Further images: https://imgur.com/a/s5aom3h Now, the question is, do any of you have an idea what the type could be or who issued (or when it was issued)? Thank you in advance.

I‘m always glad to see new people get into Byzantine coins. In my opinion it‘s a very underappreciated field. I‘m not a big early-to-mid Byzantine coin collector (I focus more on late Byzantine ones), but I did manage to snag the same type as you a while back for a bit over 10€. It‘s not in the greatest of conditions but for that price you can‘t really complain.

Wow, that's some great provenance for a great example. I also managed to get an example of the type a while back, albeit in far inferior condition (and with very little provenance). It could perhaps also use a little cleaning. I'm still happy with it though as it fills the hole for the type in my collection.

Great coins @Simon and great write-up @sand! I don't really collect early Byzantine coins that often, so these three are my only coins from Anastasius reign. They coincidentally happen to represent the three types of coinage from his reign. Anastasius - Sear 13 - Constantinople - Nummus Anastasius - Unpublished / Sear 16 var. (Wreath surrounding the reverse) - Constantinople - Small-module Follis Anastasius - Sear 22 - Constantinople - Large-module Follis

Let's get some more mints in here. Here's a follis from Nicomedia. Justin I - Sear 83 - Nicomedia - Officina A

Weird, I already received my invoice on the 20th via email. Are you sure your invoice didn‘t just go into the spam folder?

Trachy of Michael VIII Obv: St. Michael standing, holding patriarchal cross and trilobate sceptre Rev: Michael, seated on a throne, holding cruciform sceptre in the right hand and in the left globus cruciger Sear: -, PCPC: 39 Next: Another ancient or medieval coin with St. Michael

An unpublished small module follis of Anastasius I from Constantinople with a wreath surrounding the reverse. Next: Another unpublished coin

I’m glad to see trachea get some love here on these forums. In most circles there are little to no collectors of them, let alone experts like here, so thanks for the great write-up for the types @seth77! Still being a relative novice when it comes to trachea, my collection is pretty small. I did however manage to snag this beauty recently: Michael VIII - Sear 2271 - 27mm -2.7g

Here's one of my scarcer folles that I won just recently: At first glance it looks like any other standard small module follis of Anastasius. On the obverse you have the standard draped and diademed bust facing right and on the reverse there's the usual M along with the other usual symbols. What sets it apart from the rest is, however, is the presence of a wreath encircling the reverse design (whereas normally there's just a simple dotted border).