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Trachy Bulgarian imitation of Trachy of Alexius III - Type C, unknown ruler and mint
| Issuer | Second Bulgarian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1195 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Two crowned imperial figures standing facing, depicted in a hierarchical frontal composition typical of Byzantine and Bulgarian imitative coinage. The figures, identified as a king and queen, are shown in full regalia with loros-style imperial garments rendered in low relief. Each figure holds regalia; between them, a patriarchal or processional cross is visible in the lower field. The style is characteristic of Bulgarian provincial imitations, with simplified but recognizable Byzantine iconographic conventions. |
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| Reverse description | Bust of a haloed saint depicted facing, rendered in a schematic style consistent with Bulgarian imitations of late Byzantine trachea. The figure is shown with a nimbus and appears vested in ecclesiastical or imperial garments, with traces of drapery indicated in the fields to either side. The portraiture is simplified relative to the Byzantine prototypes, with broad facial features and minimal detail in the hair and beard. The composition fills the concave flan, with no legible inscription preserved. |
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| Additional information |
The Second Bulgarian Empire's imitative coinage presents one of medieval numismatics' more stubborn attribution problems. These billon trachea copied Byzantine prototypes so closely — and so inconsistently — that distinguishing Bulgarian workshop production from degraded provincial Byzantine issues remains contested. Type C, unassigned to any specific ruler or mint, likely emerged from the chaotic decades following the Asen brothers' revolt against Byzantium in 1185, when the restored Bulgarian state needed circulating coinage but lacked established imperial minting infrastructure to produce it independently.