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Home > Members' Coin Collection Galleries > wileyc > Clipped Trachys of the Late Byzantine era

sb1964_clipped_18mm_165gjpg.jpg
Manuel I Komnenus clipped billion aspron trachy SB1964Obverse: The Virgin enthroned facing, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphrium, she holds nimbate head of the infant Christ facing; to l. MP to r. Theta V.
Reverse: MANUHA AECIIOTHC or similar, Manuel stg. facing wearing crown, divitision and chlamys and holding labarum (one dots= on shaft) and globus surmounted by patriarchal cross.
Mint: Constantinople Third metropolitan coinage Variation B
Date: 1143-1180 CE
Sear 1964 DO 15.5-10
18mm 1.65 gm
wileyc
sear1966clipped.jpg
Manuel I Komnenus clipped billion aspron trachy SB1966Obverse: IC-XC (bar above) in field, Christ bearded and nimbate, wearing tunic and colobion, seated upon throne without back; holds gospels in left hand.
Reverse: MAN(monogram)HA AECIIOT or var, MP OV bar above in upper right field, Full-length figure of emperor, bearded on left, crowned by Virgin nimbate. Emperor wears stemma, divitision, collar-peice, and jewelled loros of simplified type; holds in right hand labarum-headed scepter, and in left globus cruciger. Virgin wears tunic and maphorion.
four main varieties:
Mint: Constantinople
Date: 1167-1183?
Sear 1966 Var d, Fourth coinage; H 16.14,15; 17.1-4
rev: Jewel within circle on loros waist
16mm .89gm
As discussed in the Byzantine forumThese are the "neatly clipped" trachies.
During the reign of Manuel I the silver content of the trachy was dropped from c.6% to c.3%, but later types were sometimes issued with the higher silver content.
In Alexius III's time these high silver types were clipped down to half size, probably officially, presumably so as to match the lower silver content of the later issues.
Of course this would only have worked as long as the populace accepted the idea that the clipped coins were all high silver versions to start with. Once smarties started clipping ordinary coins these types would soon have have fallen out of favour and been withdrawn.

Ross G.


During the reign of Alexius III were reused coins of previous releases, clipping its border in a very regular mode and thus reducing to half their weight. Regularity of shearing and the fact that they were found to stock uniforms, suggesting that this clipping is a formal issuance of mint. Based on the stocks found in Constantinople , some of which consist only of clipped coins, it may safely be dated between 1195 and 1203.
Hendy and Grierson believe that this shearing was a consequence of the devaluation of trachy mixture during the reign of Isaac II and Alexius III. They reduced by half the already low silver content of this coin: shearing coins of previous emperors, still widely in circulation, made their trachy consistent with the intrinsic value of current emissions. Of course, this does not justify the clipping of coins already degraded of Isaac II and Alexius III. Therefore, reason for their declassification is not understood. I think that reason of Ross is right!
The structure of their dispersion in hoards indicates that, however, were made after the other emissions. Clipped trachys appear in small amounts along with regular trachy in hoards, represents a rarity. Were clipped trachys of Manuel I, Andronicus I, Isaac II and Alexius III, and perhaps of John II; those of Manuel are less scarce. In principle, we must believe that all trachys after Manuel I have been clipped, although many have not yet appeared.

Antvwala
wileyc
clippedhendytypeC21mm__1_79g.jpg
Clipped Bulgarian imitative of Alexius IIIObv: IC XC in field, bust of Christ beardless and nimbate, wearing tunic and kolobion scroll in left hand
Rev: Full length figures of emperor on left and St. Constantine on r, globus cruciger? between them. Emperor wears six jeweled loros, saint wears it appears a six jeweled loros. it is this combination that defines it as a likely imitative and not official coinage.
Mint: Unk mint in Bulgaria
Date: 1200-1210 CE
21mm; 1.79g
Henry type C; CLBC 10.3.2
wileyc
SB1966clipped_20mm140g.jpg
Clipped SB 1966Obverse: IC-XC (bar above) in field, Christ bearded and nimbate, wearing tunic and colobion, seated upon throne without back; holds gospels in left hand.
Reverse: MAN(monogram)HA AECIIOT or var, MP OV bar above in upper right field, Full-length figure of emperor, bearded on left, crowned by Virgin nimbate. Emperor wears stemma, divitision, collar-peice, and jewelled loros of simplified type; holds in right hand labarum-headed scepter, and in left globus cruciger. Virgin wears tunic and maphorion.
Mint: Constantinople
Date: 1167-1183?
Sear 1966
20mm, 1.40g
wileyc
clippedtrachysb198520mm129g.jpg
Clipped trachy of Andronicus I SB 1985Obverse: The virgin stg. facing on dais, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium, she hold before her nimbate head of the infant Christ facing to l.
Reverse: AN(delta)PONIKOC (delta)ECIIOTHC or similar. Christ bearded and with nimbus cross or r. and Andronicus with forked beard on l., both stg. facing. Christ wears pallium and colobium holds book of gospels in l. hand, and with his r. crowns the emperor who wears divitision and loros. Holds labarum and gl. cr., between their heads IC ro r., XC.
Mint: Constantinople
Date 1183-1185 CE
Sear 1985
20mm, 1.29g
wileyc
clippedtrachysb198519mm157g.jpg
Clipped trachy of Andronicus I SB 1985Obverse: The virgin stg. facing on dais, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium, she hold before her nimbate head of the infant Christ facing to l.
Reverse: AN(delta)PONIKOC (delta)ECIIOTHC or similar. Christ bearded and with nimbus cross or r. and Andronicus with forked beard on l., both stg. facing. Christ wears pallium and colobium holds book of gospels in l. hand, and with his r. crowns the emperor who wears divitision and loros. Holds labarum and gl. cr., between their heads IC ro r., XC.
Mint: Constantinople
Date 1183-1185 CE
Sear 1985
19mm, 1.57g
wileyc
clippedtrachysb198520mm185g.jpg
Clipped trachy of Andronicus I SB 1985Obverse: The virgin stg. facing on dais, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium, she hold before her nimbate head of the infant Christ facing to l.
Reverse: AN(delta)PONIKOC (delta)ECIIOTHC or similar. Christ bearded and with nimbus cross or r. and Andronicus with forked beard on l., both stg. facing. Christ wears pallium and colobium holds book of gospels in l. hand, and with his r. crowns the emperor who wears divitision and loros. Holds labarum and gl. cr., between their heads IC ro r., XC.
Mint: Constantinople
Date 1183-1185 CE
Sear 1985
20mm, 1.85g
wileyc
clippedtrachysb200320mm136g.jpg
Clipped trachy of Issac II SB 2003Obverse: The Virgan enthroned facing nimbate and wearing pallium and maphprium, holding nimbate head of infant Christ facing; on either side of nimbus MP-theta-V barred.Reverse: Isacc stanging facing wearing crown, divitision and loros, and saigon which is sometimes ornamented with a star (no star in this coin); Isaac holds cruciform sceptre and akakia, and is crowned by manus Dei in upper field to r.; to L., I/CAA/KI/OC to r., deltaEC/IIO/TH?C or similar as there are varying forms
Mint: Constantinople
Date 1185-1195 CE
Sear 2003
20mm, 1.36g
wileyc
clippedtrachysb200321mm249g.jpg
Clipped trachy of Issac II SB 2003Obverse: The Virgan enthroned facing nimbate and wearing pallium and maphprium, holding nimbate head of infant Christ facing; on either side of nimbus MP-theta-V barred.Reverse: Isacc stanging facing wearing crown, divitision and loros, and saigon which is sometimes ornamented with a star (no star in this coin); Isaac holds cruciform sceptre and akakia, and is crowned by manus Dei in upper field to r.; to L., I/CAA/KI/OC to r., deltaEC/IIO/TH?C or similar as there are varying forms
Mint: Constantinople
Date 1185-1195 CE
Sear 2003
21mm, 2.49g
wileyc
clippedtrachysb2003_21mm1_49g.jpg
Clipped trachy of Issac II SB 2003Obverse: The Virgan enthroned facing nimbate and wearing pallium and maphprium, holding nimbate head of infant Christ facing; on either side of nimbus MP-theta-V barred.
Reverse: Isacc stanging facing wearing crown, divitision and loros, and saigon which is sometimes ornamented with a star (no star in this coin); Isaac holds cruciform sceptre and akakia, and is crowned by manus Dei in upper field to r.; to L., I/CAA/KI/OC to r., deltaEC/IIO/TH?C or similar as there are varying forms
Mint: Constantinople
Date 1185-1195 CE
Sear 2003
21mm 1.49g
wileyc
clippedtrachysb196620mm138g.jpg
clipped trachy of Manuel I SB 1966Obverse: IC-XC (bar above) in field, Christ bearded and nimbate, wearing tunic and colobion, seated upon throne without back; holds gospels in left hand.
Reverse: MAN(monogram)HA AECIIOT or var, MP OV bar above in upper right field, Full-length figure of emperor, bearded on left, crowned by Virgin nimbate. Emperor wears stemma, divitision, collar-peice, and jewelled loros of simplified type; holds in right hand labarum-headed scepter, and in left globus cruciger. Virgin wears tunic and maphorion.
Mint: Constantinople
Date: 1167-1183?
Sear 1966
20mm, 1.38g
wileyc
clippedtrachysb196618mm118g.jpg
clipped trachy of Manuel I SB 1966Obverse: IC-XC (bar above) in field, Christ bearded and nimbate, wearing tunic and colobion, seated upon throne without back; holds gospels in left hand.
Reverse: MAN(monogram)HA AECIIOT or var, MP OV bar above in upper right field, Full-length figure of emperor, bearded on left, crowned by Virgin nimbate. Emperor wears stemma, divitision, collar-peice, and jewelled loros of simplified type; holds in right hand labarum-headed scepter, and in left globus cruciger. Virgin wears tunic and maphorion.
Mint: Constantinople
Date: 1167-1183?
Sear 1966
18mm, 1.18g
wileyc
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