1/2 Tram - Leo I

Leo I was crowned King of Armenian Cilicia in January 1198 by the Holy Roman Emperor's representative, a deliberate political alignment that tied the Armenian kingdom firmly to Western feudal structures rather than Byzantine ones. His coinage system reflected this: the tram denomination was modeled on Crusader monetary conventions, facilitating trade with the Frankish states of the Levant. The half tram served fractional commerce in a coastal kingdom whose port cities — Sis, Tarsus, Ayas — were active nodes in the eastern Mediterranean spice and silk routes.

Ner. 278 places this type within the first phase of Leo's extensive mint output, before later die modifications introduced under continued reign.