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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Byzantine Coins| ▸ |The Restored Empire||View Options:   | | | |
His grandfather disinherited him, so Andronicus III revolted, gaining joint rule. They fought again and in 1328 he took the city. Later Andronicus II was sent to a monastery to die old and blind. Andronicus III was at war his whole reign, chiefly with the Ottomans, who held almost all of Asia Minor even before his rule.
In Simon Bendall's 1988 catalog of his Byzantine coin collection (Bendall PCPC), he recorded five sets of sigla (letters, symbols, monograms, or a combination thereof) that appear on the obverse of this (light) basilikon issue. Interestingly, three of them were also used on the joint reign hyperpyra of Andronicus II & III. The sigla-letters B - K are, in this cataloger's view, probably the second from the rarest of the five different sets attested in the standard works, with only three confirmed coin examples (including the present specimen) found by FORVM. The meaning and purpose of sigla are still a baffling mystery and the subject of much debate in Byzantine circles. For an excellent (and very readable) overview of the research, including the merits and shortcomings of various theories on sigla, see Dr. Eleni Lianta's paper "The Development and Function of Sigla on Late Byzantine Coins (A.D. 1204-1453)," published in Domus Byzantinus 16 (2007-2008) and on her Academia.edu page.BZ114246. Silver reduced basilikon, Bendall PCPC 197C; B-D LPC p. 118, 4 var. (unlisted sigla); SBCV 2472 (£150 VF); Sommer 82.1.2 (€750 VF) var. (rev. leg.), gVF, flan slightly irregular, great detail for type, sigla bold, most other devices/details visible, minus part of rev. legend as usual, weight 1.641 g, maximum diameter 20.6 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, 24 May 1328 - 15 Jun 1341 A.D.; obverse Christ Pantokrator seated facing on throne with backrest, nimbate, wearing tunic and mantle, holding the book of the Gospels on left knee, IC - XC (Greek abbreviation: ΙΗΣΟΥΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ - Jesus Christ) flanking head, B - K (sigla) flanking throne; reverse ΔHMHTP (or similar) clockwise on left, ANΔPONI on right, St. Demetrius on left, standing facing, nimbate, holding cross to chest, Andronicus on right, standing facing, crowned, placing hand on chest, Γ/O/A downward between; ex Numismatik Naumann auction 102 (2 May 2021), lot 856; very rare; $700.00 (€658.00)
Byzantine Empire, Andronicus II Palaeologus, 1272 - 24 May 1328 A.D.
Under Andronicus II the empire permanently declined. His grandson, Andronicus III, rebelled and defeated him. He was forced to abdicate, retired as a monk and died 13 Feb 1332.BZ113983. Bronze trachy, DOC V 583; Bendall PCPC 115; Grierson 1409; LPC p. 50, 23; SBCV 2348; Sommer -, gF, green patina, uneven strike, edge ragged with splits, scyphate, weight 1.984 g, maximum diameter 20.4 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople mint, sole reign, 1282 - 1295; obverse Nimbate facing half-figure of Archangel Michael; reverse Andronicus standing facing, cruciform scepter in right hand, akakia in left hand; first specimen of this type held by FORVM; scarce; $180.00 (€169.20)
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