Catalog
Trachy Bulgarian imitation of Trachy of Alexius III - Type C, unknown ruler and mint
| Issuer | Second Bulgarian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1195 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Grosh (1185-1396) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Bust of a haloed saint depicted facing, rendered in a schematic style consistent with Bulgarian imitations of late Byzantine trachea. The figure is shown with a nimbus and appears vested in ecclesiastical or imperial garments, with traces of drapery indicated in the fields to either side. The portraiture is simplified relative to the Byzantine prototypes, with broad facial features and minimal detail in the hair and beard. The composition fills the concave flan, with no legible inscription preserved. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Second Bulgarian Empire's imitative coinage presents one of medieval numismatics' more stubborn attribution problems. These billon trachea copied Byzantine prototypes so closely — and so inconsistently — that distinguishing Bulgarian workshop production from degraded provincial Byzantine issues remains contested. Type C, unassigned to any specific ruler or mint, likely emerged from the chaotic decades following the Asen brothers' revolt against Byzantium in 1185, when the restored Bulgarian state needed circulating coinage but lacked established imperial minting infrastructure to produce it independently.