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Follis - Anonymous Bulgarian imitation
| Issuer | Second Bulgarian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1185-1240 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A plain Latin cross occupies the central field, with a central X motif and a globus terminating each arm, accompanied by two pellets flanking each extremity. Crescent symbols appear in the upper left and upper right fields, while a stylized floral or vegetal scroll is positioned below the cross. The overall design is a debased imitation of Byzantine anonymous follis reverse types, executed with characteristic irregularity and simplification typical of Bulgarian provincial hammered coinage of the Asen dynasty period. |
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| Edge | Rough |
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| Additional information |
The Second Bulgarian Empire's revival began with the Asen brothers' rebellion against Byzantium in 1185, and these imitative copper pieces emerged directly from that rupture — struck when the new state lacked both the infrastructure and the trained die-cutters to produce original coinage. The Bulgarian workshops copied late Byzantine anonymous folles so closely that attribution remains contested; many examples circulating today were long catalogued as Byzantine issues before find-site evidence from Tarnovo and the Danube frontier forced a reassessment.
The imitation degrades progressively across the series, with later dies showing increasing distance from the Byzantine prototypes.