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Aspron Trachy - Theodore II
| Issuer | Empire of Nicaea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1254-1258 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Aspron Trachy (1⁄120) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Concave (scyphate) obverse heavily encrusted with green patina, largely obscuring the design. A faint figural motif is discernible at the lower center of the concave face, possibly representing a bust or abbreviated religious figure, though severe corrosion renders precise identification of iconographic details impossible. The field is irregular and uneven, consistent with the hammered fabric typical of Nicaean billon trachea. The flan edges are ragged and chipped, as commonly encountered on this issue. No legible legend is visible on this face due to the extent of surface degradation. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Ο ΤΡΥΦΩΝ |
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| Additional information |
Theodore II Laskaris ruled the Nicaean Empire during a period of sustained military pressure from both Bulgarian forces to the north and the Latin remnants clinging to Constantinople. His reign saw deliberate investment in intellectual culture — he was himself a theologian and philosopher of some output — funded partly through a monetary system already in structural decline. The aspron trachy by this period had shed most of its silver content, a degradation that had been accelerating since the late Komnenian era.
Nicaean billon trachea are frequently found with significant fabric distortion, a consequence of the cup-shaped flan proving difficult to strike consistently at reduced silver ratios.