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Follis - Baldwin II Baldwin, Christ
| Issuer | County of Edessa (Crusader and Christian states in the Eastern Mediterranean) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1108-1118 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Follis (1) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Facing bust of Christ Pantokrator within a circular border, depicted in the Byzantine iconographic tradition with a cruciform nimbus. Christ raises his right hand in benediction and holds the Gospels in his left. The nomina sacra IC XC appear in the fields to the left and right of the bust, serving as the principal identifying legend. The relief is worn and the flan irregular, consistent with the crude hammered technique employed in Edessene copper coinage of the early twelfth century. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Baldwin II inherited Edessa in 1100 after his cousin Baldwin I departed to claim the Kingdom of Jerusalem, making the county the oldest of the Crusader states and perpetually the most exposed — its eastern frontier abutted directly on Muslim-held territory with no buffer. The copper follis coinage he produced was strictly functional, circulating among a population that was overwhelmingly Armenian Christian rather than Latin, a demographic reality that shaped the iconographic choices of the mint throughout his tenure.
Metcalf's classification of this type as 116 places it within a well-documented sequence, though die alignment and flan preparation vary considerably across surviving examples.