Cilician Armenia. Hetoum I (1226-1270)

Bedoukian Group I, 878; cf. Nercessian 332

AR tram (average weight 2.96 grams; average purity 92%), 2.82 g., 20.78 mm, max, 0°.

Obv: ԿԱՐՈՂՈԹ – ԻՆՆ ԱՅ Է (= Garoghout Iun Aye = By the Will of God), Queen Zabel left and King Hetoum right crowned and wearing royal vestments, standing and facing, both holding a long cross, star on cross.

Rev: ՀԵԹՈՒՄ ԹԱԳԱՒՈՐ ՀԱՅՈ° (ՈՐ ligate) (= Hetoum Takavor Hayots = Hetoum King of the Armenians), crowned lion standing right holding long cross with left paw.

The obverse showing the king and queen openly acknowledges the fact that Zabel was of royal lineage and that Hetoum was her consort. Although Zabel died in 1252, Hetoum continued to strike coins with this design until his resignation in 1270.

The coins are divided by Bedoukian into seven groups (as well as a transitional period), with the numbering of the groups based on the order of issue. Although critical of Bedoukian's classification of the trams of Levon I, Metcalf approves his classification of the Hetoum I trams.