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Alexios IV - Asper
| Issuer | Empire of Trebizond (Byzantine states) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1417-1429 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Saint Eugenios, the patron saint of Trebizond, depicted on horseback in right-facing profile, holding an upright cross in his extended hand. The figure of the equestrian saint is rendered in the highly stylized, linear manner characteristic of Trapezuntine aspers, with the horse's legs and body outlined in bold relief against the flat field. Greek abbreviated lettering appears in the surrounding field identifying the saint. A beaded border frames the composition, and the flan exhibits the irregular, spread form typical of hammered coinage of this period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Alexios IV ruled Trebizond through a period of acute pressure from the expanding Ottoman sultanate, paying tribute to Mehmed I while simultaneously cultivating ties with Venetian merchants whose Black Sea trade kept the empire economically viable. The asper was the engine of that commerce — a denomination trusted by Genoese and Venetian factors who handled it alongside coins from half a dozen competing powers in Trebizond's busy port.
Retowski's classification of this type, published in 1905 and still the foundational reference for Trapezuntine coinage, drew heavily on a handful of institutional collections; well-attributed examples remain genuinely scarce in the trade.