Top 10 Palaiologai trachea by Sear number

[seth77]

Last year I did a Top 10 cheapest under 10EUR coins, this year I'm following through with an equally arcane although a lot more focused top, from an area that is very seldom touched on our forum: the late Byzantine trachea and more specifically the trachea of the Palaiologoi (1259-1453).

These coins are not classically beautiful and the shape and condition most are available in might make them seem dull and unremarkable to the traditional collector used to big chunky tetradrachms and/or shiny denarii and wide sestertii of the early Imperial age. Despite that, these coins are some of the most interesting I have ever had the chance to experience in terms of research and knowledge gained for effort.

In addition to the Sear number, I have added to each entry some notes and a possible dating, inspired by R. Glanfield of GlebeCoins, S. Bendall/P.J. Donald and DOC notes. There are hundreds of issues spanning the second half of the 13th century to ca. post-mid 14th century for this denomination because new types were probably minted yearly and sometimes for special years there were 2 types or even more struck at two main mints (Constantinople and Thessalonica), but also at times other 'provincial mints' in both Asia and Thracia. The mint is not marked in any overt fashion, but once you get past the confusion these strange coins might elicit, the separation of styles becomes, if not readily evident, at least inferrable. For both dating and notes on the possibility of alternative mints, up to the likelihood of some mints being given, even if just as knowledgeable speculation, Mr. Glanfield's work at GlebeCoins is unparalleled.

The coins:

S.2295 AE26x22mm 2.15g - attributed to Thessalonica for Michael VIII as Emperor of Nicaea (1259-61), possibly one of the earliest (if not the earliest) coinage struck for Michael at Thessalonica around 1259 as terminus post quem. The type shows St. Demetrius seated facing on throne with no back, holding sword across his knees on obv and Michael standing facing on the left, labarum in right hand, akakia in left, being crowned by Archangel Michael standing facing on the right on rev. The legend is reconstructable as [Г/OA/]ΔΗ - ΜH/TpI/o/C on obv and O - M / X [...] on reverse:

 

 

S.2360 AE17x15mm 0.85g - minted at Thessalonica, possibly for Andronicus II in the later part of his reign, ca. 1315. It's part of the 'star type' series, struck likely starting mid 1310s. If later than 1315, it could theoretically show Michael IX instead of Andronicus II. The obv should have showed the bust of St. Demetrius nimbate facing holding small cross on his chest(?) and emperor holding cruciform scepter, standing facing, being blessed by the Virgin Mary; star above, retrograde B between and is anepigraphic except for the large reverse B:

 

 

S.2372 AE20mm 1.12g - minted at Thessalonica for Andronicus II ca. 1303. The obv shows a bust of St. Demetrius nimbate holding sword and shield(?) and the reverse shows the emperor standing facing, holding lys in each hand. Only the reverse has a short partial legend [AN]ΔΡ [...]:

 

 

S.2374 AE22x19 1.48g - struck at Thessalonica for Andronicus II ca. 1294, possibly the last issue under Andronicus alone, before the crowning of Michael IX. Flattened and partly reverse-scyphate. The obv shows St. Demetrius half length holding shield in left hand and sword in right hand, resting on saint's right shoulder; star on shield. The rev has the winged emperor holding cross sceptre and akakia, overlooking city walls and monumental gate. The obv has a variant legend for [...] - Δ/ΜΗ/ΤPΙ/O/C, the reverse is anepigraphic:

 

 

S.2384 AE19x18mm 1.21g - minted at Thessalonica for Andronicus II ca. 1310-15, part of the 'star type' issues. It has a winged patriarchal cross on obv and the emperor holding akakia and labarum; star in left field on rev. The type looks completely anepigraphic, which might date it closer to ca. 1315:

 

 

S.2387 AE19mm 0.85g - minted at Thessalonica for Andronicus II around 1315. Patriarchal cross with stars at base(?) on obv and emperor standing facing, holding cross in circle on staff in each hand on rev. Type seems completely anepigraphic:

 

S.2425 AE22 1.72g - minted at Constantinopolis for Michael VIII and Andronicus II ca. 1272-1280. It has a very interesting obv design - a labarum over crescent and the busts of Michael and Andronikos facing, holding a long patriarchal cross bewtween them, Michael wearing loros and Andronikos a chlamys on rev. The rev legend is reconstructable as [M ΔECΠOTIS] - O ΠAΛEO [...]. The type is rather rare and it might be related to a military campaign in the 1270s:

 

 

S.2457 AE22x16 1.81g - minted at Thessalonica in a period of uncertainty, possibly ca. 1320-1, under Andronicus III for Michael IX and himself, probably at the early stages of the rebellion of A III against his grandfather A II, and before A III moved to rule as an usurper in Thracia. It shows a device of six-pointed star or a flower with six petals on obverse and Andronikos (left) holding akakia and cross-headed sceptre being crowned by Michael (right) holding cross-headed sceptre on reverse. Completely anepigraphic and thus anonymous, fit for the uncertainty of the period R. Glanfield discusses this issue at some lengths here and here:

 

 

S.2458 AE22x19mm 0.84g - another Thessalonica anoymous two emperors type, dated accordin to R. Glanfield's sequencing earlier, under Andronicus II and Michael IX ca. 1305. The obverse desing is again very interesting and rather abstract: a large circle crossed by bar or large Φ, no other legend, while the reverse shows the half-length facing busts of the two emperors, supporting between them a long cross inside circle.

 

 

S.2490 AE21mm 1.61g - possibly ca. 1322 at Thessalonica for Andronicus III, after a brief rapprochement between the two Andronici and A III's return to Thessalonica. The coinage is clearly Thessalonica rather than a provincial mint and continues the 'star type' issues that began around 1315-16 under Michael IX and Andronicus III. The obverse appears to show a nimbate bust, possibly St. Demetrius and the reverse shows the emperor standing facing, holding cross sceptre, flanked by stars and B's. Both obverse and reverse are completely anepigraphic:

 

 

Ok, so this was the Palaiologan Trachy 2023 by Sear number. Historically the period is marked by conflict with the Latins of Greece and afterwards with the overlord of the Greek Frankokratia Charles d'Anjou post-1278 (Michael VIII and the first part of Andronicus II reigns), then with the Turks of Anatolia (Andronicus II and Michael IX) and eventually the uncertainty and civil strife caused by Andronicus III (1321-1328).

Edited December 12, 2023 by seth77

[TheTrachyEnjoyer]

Congrats

[ela126]

So you're the one excited for the end of the Byzantine auction offers, after the rest of us have turned our noses up anmd signed off! excellent research.

[seth77]

3 hours ago, ela126 said:

So you're the one excited for the end of the Byzantine auction offers, after the rest of us have turned our noses up anmd signed off! excellent research.

I keep looking even after that, to the medievals. In fact, that used to be my main focus.

[Al Kowsky]

It's sad to see the terminal phase of Byzantine coinage ☹️, on the other hand, these coins are important to historians & collectors with limited means ☺️.

[ela126]

@seth77 Sometimes i do check out some of the medievals myself as well, but mostly for tie ins to my Byzantine collection, nothing serious for me

[sand]

@seth77 Excellent choice, for a top 10 list. You've acquired some interesting late trachy coins. I collect Byzantine coins, including late trachys. I've studied Ross G.'s web site www.glebecoins.org. I agree, that it's a very interesting web site. Here's my latest trachy, and my only Palaeologan trachy. My coin is also pictured, with some historical information, and more numismatic information, in @Severus Alexander's excellent thread "The epic Byzantine portrait thread".

https://www.numisforums.com/topic/4226-the-epic-byzantine-portrait-thread/page/19/#comment-60868

Andronicus III. AE Trachy. Minted 1328 AD To 1341 AD. Thessalonica Mint. DO 936. Grierson 1473. Lianta 844. Maximum Diameter 19.7 mm. Weight 1.83 grams. Obverse : Brockage Of Reverse. Reverse : On Left Saint Demetrius 3/4 Length Facing Front With Halo, At Center Staff Surmounted By Large Fleur-De-Lis Held By Saint Demetrius And Andronicus III, On Right Andronicus III 3/4 Length Facing Front, Top Left (Delta-H-M-H?), Top Right (A-N-Delta-Rho?). NOTE : Ross G. at his web site www.glebecoins.org (an interesting web site) disagrees with the reference books Dumbarton Oaks (DO), Grierson, and Lianta. Ross G. says that, based on hoard data, this coin type was minted during the reign of Andronicus II, with a calculated mint date of circa 1297 AD.

[seth77]

19 minutes ago, sand said:

@seth77 Excellent choice, for a top 10 list. You've acquired some interesting late trachy coins. I collect Byzantine coins, including late trachys. I've studied Ross G.'s web site www.glebecoins.org. I agree, that it's a very interesting web site. Here's my latest trachy, and my only Palaeologan trachy. My coin is also pictured, with some historical information, and more numismatic information, in @Severus Alexander's excellent thread "The epic Byzantine portrait thread".

https://www.numisforums.com/topic/4226-the-epic-byzantine-portrait-thread/page/19/#comment-60868

Andronicus III. AE Trachy. Minted 1328 AD To 1341 AD. Thessalonica Mint. DO 936. Grierson 1473. Lianta 844. Maximum Diameter 19.7 mm. Weight 1.83 grams. Obverse : Brockage Of Reverse. Reverse : On Left Saint Demetrius 3/4 Length Facing Front With Halo, At Center Staff Surmounted By Large Fleur-De-Lis Held By Saint Demetrius And Andronicus III, On Right Andronicus III 3/4 Length Facing Front, Top Left (Delta-H-M-H?), Top Right (A-N-Delta-Rho?). NOTE : Ross G. at his web site www.glebecoins.org (an interesting web site) disagrees with the reference books Dumbarton Oaks (DO), Grierson, and Lianta. Ross G. says that, based on hoard data, this coin type was minted during the reign of Andronicus II, with a calculated mint date of circa 1297 AD.

Ah, a fellow frontiersman. These coins are some of the last uncharted numismatic fields that are just beginning to get the attention they deserve. I agree with Ross on his observation. The first hint would be the legend on the reverse, a mid-length with an abbreviated version of both names. I think that it belongs to a series of years not recorded by Sear and here is one of its colleagues - cf. LPC 80:23, Grierson 1465, DOC 5 Class XXIII, 774-777, also from ca. 1297. Ross notes in his sequence that it is 'Presumably Thessalonican'. It seems Grierson also considered these coins as somewhat connected, perhaps from a corpus o coins that R.G. has in his sequence spanning from c. 1294 to 1300.

 

[sand]

@seth77 Thanks for the information. I've learned a few things, about these coins. However, there is much, that I don't know. And, apparently, there are still some unknowns, regarding these coins. I'm glad to hear, that these coins are finally getting more attention. For me, the late Byzantine Empire is very interesting.

[panzerman]

Beautifull  top ten Seth! I like you love medieval/ Byzantine coinage.  Thanks for sharing!

[Curtisimo]

Very fun top 10 Seth. This era is way out of my knowledge base but I still like all the coins. 

[savitale]

Seems like there is a lot of research that one can do on these coins which must be at least half the fun. They seem to have really done their job as instruments of commerce unlike a lot of better preserved coins from other periods. Thanks for sharing!