Manuel II or John VIII Palaeologus

[Daniel-Alexandru B]

Hello, could someone tell me if this is a half Stavraton from Manuel II or John VIII Palaeologus.

Thank you!

[Obryzum]

Definitely not John VIII

I would need to consult the references to decide between Manuel II and John VII.  What is the weight?

[Obryzum]

Having checked DOC, I vote for Manuel II. The two dot sigla in the field left of the emperor, which looks like a colon, is uncommon, but there are a few Manuel II coins that have it, including one with 20 dots around the obverse.  This coin has 20 stars, rather than dots, though only 8 are visible because the strike was not centered. Some of Manuel’s coins have stars rather than dots.

[Daniel-Alexandru B]

Thank you for your answer! The coin is 19 mm in diameter and has a weight of 3,62 g.

[Obryzum]

Weight is consistent with Manuel II.  Closest match I can find is DOC 1490, which has part of the sigla and 20 dots.  If you do not have copy of DOC V, there is an online version available.  You can find it in the pinned threads at the top of the Byzantine Discussion page.

[Daniel-Alexandru B]

Thank you so much, I am recently expanded my collection in the direction of late byzantine coins. I will use from now on DOC.