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Trachy - Petar IV / Ivan I Asen Imitating billon aspron trachy of Isaac II Angelus
| Issuer | Second Bulgarian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1185-1207 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Trachy |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The Theotokos (Mother of God) enthroned facing, depicted in a frontal, hieratic pose characteristic of Byzantine iconographic tradition. The Virgin is shown nimbate, clad in maphorion, with hands raised in an orant or holding gesture. Abbreviated Greek inscription MP ΘV (Meter Theou) appears in the fields to either side of the figure. The relief is bold but somewhat crude in execution, consistent with Bulgarian imitative coinage of the late 12th to early 13th century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | MP ΘV |
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| 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.