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Hyperpyron - John III Doukas
| Issuer | Nicaea, Empire of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1222-1254 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Gold |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes stands facing in full imperial regalia, wearing a crown and loros, holding a labarum-headed sceptre in his right hand. To his right, the Virgin Mary (Theotokos), depicted in a smaller figure, reaches forward to place a crown upon the emperor's head in the traditional Byzantine imperial investiture scene. The composition conveys divine legitimacy, with both figures rendered in the flat, linear style typical of Nicaean hyperpyra. Flanking inscriptions identify the Virgin as Meter Theou and the emperor by his title and name. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
John III Doukas Vatatzes ruled Nicaea during the empire's most expansionist phase — steadily recovering Byzantine territory from the Latins while building a surprisingly self-sufficient agrarian economy. His reign is unusually long for a catalog entry to remain vague about: thirty-two years of stable gold coinage is itself a historical statement. The hyperpyron's gold standard had been under sustained pressure since the Fourth Crusade shattered Constantinople in 1204, and Nicaean issues under John III represent the most fiscally disciplined Byzantine-tradition coinage of the exile period.
BCV 2073 spans the entire reign, and die studies have not yet produced a reliable chronology within it.