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Trachy - John III Doukas-Vatatzes
| Issuer | Empire of Nicaea (Byzantine states) |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | St. George depicted full-length, standing facing, clad in military attire, holding a spear upright in his right hand and a round shield in his left. The saint is identified by an abbreviated Greek legend flanking the figure in the field. The letter B appears to the left, with a retrograde B to the right, and the abbreviated epithet ΘΑ ΓΕ (Ἅγιος Γεώργιος) is inscribed to either side. The style is characteristic of Nicaean-period Byzantine billon trachea, with a shallow concave (scyphate) fabric and bold, schematic die-cutting. |
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| Mint | Magnesia ad Maeandrum, Ionia, Turkey |
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| Additional information |
John III ruled Nicaea from 1221 to 1254, presiding over the most administratively coherent of the Byzantine successor states that emerged after the Fourth Crusade's sack of Constantinople in 1204. His reign saw genuine fiscal consolidation — he reportedly banned the import of foreign luxury goods to protect domestic producers — and his coinage reflects a functioning, if reduced, imperial economy rather than a desperate one. The billon trachy denomination had been debased so aggressively by late Komnenian and Angeloi rulers that Nicaean issues of this type represent a modest stabilization rather than a continuation of decline.