Nomos 37

Alexius III Angelus-Comnenus, 1195-1203. Aspron Trachy (Silver, 29 mm, 3.57 g, 12 h), Arta, circa 1205-1209. IC-XC Christ Pantocrator seated facing on throne, bearded and nimbate, with his right hand raised in benediction, and holding a book of gospels in his left; above the arms of the throne to left and right, small X above M. Rev. AΛΕΙΟ (sic!) ΔΕCΠ - KΩNCTANTINO On the left, Alexios standing facing, crowned, wearing divitision, collar piece adorned with ten jewels and a loros, and holding a cross-tipped scepter with his right hand; on the right, St. Constantine standing facing, crowned, wearing divitision, collar piece adorned with ten jewels and a loros, and holding cross-tipped scepter with his left hand; both holding between them a labarum surmounting a triangular decoration on a long shaft with a globe at the bottom. Apparently unpublished and unique as an issue of Arta!. Clear, well-struck and toned, a coin of tremendous historical importance (see the note below). Edge slightly wavy and with two unobtrustive chips, otherwise, extremely fine.

What a fascinating coin this is... At first glance it looks like a normal and common aspron trachy of Alexios III from Constantinople. But of course it isn't: the style is completely different, the inscriptions have spelling mistakes and it lacks the usual invocation to Christ on the obverse. Also the sigla MX (which probably can be explained as Michael) were not encountered in the mint at Constantinople.

The resemblance of this coin to the extremely rare aspra trachea of the despot of Epirus, Michael II Comnenos-Ducas, is striking (see Nomos 28, 2023, 1380 and Nomos 19, 2019, 453). The siglon MX also appears, the invocation to Christ is also missing from the obverse, and the attire of the two standing figures on the reverse is very similar. It is obvious that these two coins were struck chronologically close to each other.

The chronological gap between the death of Alexios III in 1211 and the ascension of Michael II to the Despotate in 1237 seems virtually impossible if we follow the traditional attribution of the coins. Thus we would propose that the aspra trachea that have been traditionally attributed to Michael II Comnenos-Ducas of Epirus are, in reality, issues of his father, Michael I Comnenos-Ducas, the founder of the Epirote dynasty. Therefore, we believe that the present coin is actually an issue of his cousin, the former emperor Alexios III, struck in Arta circa 1205-1209, after the fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders.