Coin Item Number: 3095/1723 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Byzantine coin from the Latin Rulers of Constantinople Period, 1204-1261. Obverse: bust of Christ; he wears a nimbus cruciger, which is a cross within a halo; to left, inscription says ‘IC’; to right, ‘XC’. Reverse: an emperor, standing and facing front; he wears military dress with a short skirt; to left, he holds a labarum (a military standard); to right, he holds a globus cruciger; to left, inscription says 'CO'; to right, 'TΠ'. Coin is concave.

History Of Use

“Billon Trachy” (denomination); Sear# 2035.

Narrative

The Latin Rulers of Constantinople, who minted the ‘Latin Imitation’ coins, captured the city after the Fourth Crusade in 1204. They were driven out by the Byzantine Greeks in 1261.