Catalog
Trachy - Petar IV / Ivan I Asen Imitating billon aspron trachy of Isaac II Angelus
| Issuer | Second Bulgarian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1185-1207 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.82 g |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A crowned emperor shown standing facing in full-length effigy, rendered in the Byzantine imperial manner. He holds a cross-tipped scepter in his right hand and an akakia (the imperial ceremonial roll) in his left, both emblems of sovereign authority. The figure is clad in loros and imperial regalia, with the treatment of drapery and facial features reflecting a provincial imitative style derived from the aspron trachy coinage of Isaac II Angelus. The field is largely plain, with no legible inscription preserved on this example. |
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| Mintage | ND (1185-1207) - Unknown mint |
| Additional information |
The Second Bulgarian Empire declared its independence from Byzantium in 1185 following the revolt of brothers Petar and Asen, and the trachea they struck almost immediately imitated Byzantine prototypes — Isaac II Angelus being the reigning emperor at the moment of that rebellion. Copying his coinage was a deliberate political statement: Bulgaria could produce imperial-format currency, yet the execution drifts markedly from Byzantine workshop standards, with irregular flans and inconsistent billon alloy that betray provincial manufacture.
Attributing these imitative pieces precisely to Petar IV or Ivan I Asen individually remains contested, which is why the joint reign attribution persists in most catalogs.