voulgaroktonou Posted Tuesday at 01:10 AM · Member Share Posted Tuesday at 01:10 AM I picked up yesterday an unexpected treat at our monthly local coin show, a stavraton of Manuel II (1391-1425). While I love the stavrata and their fractions, and am always seeking new examples, I never expected to encounter one at this venue. As I examined my new purchase, I kept thinking that I had seen it somewhere before. Turning to page 472 in my copy of Sear’s Byzantine Coins and Their Values gave me the answer: it’s the Sear plate coin! Although I own a number of Sear plate coins, this is my only one from the Palaeologan period. It’s an example of DO Class II (Reduced weight series, 1403-1425). The sigla on the obverse, a Γ Κ monogram and lis, put it at the end of this series, ca. 1420-1425. Perhaps these are an acquired taste, but to me, they are hauntingly beautiful. Its details are: 7.04 gr. 24.9 mm. 6 hr. Sear 2549 (This coin); DO 1407-1408; PCPC 332, 6; LPC 160,1. 17 1 4 4 1 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted Tuesday at 01:13 AM · Supporter Share Posted Tuesday at 01:13 AM Wow, congrats on a fantastic acquisition! A Sear plate coin, no less! Do you have any further idea of the coin's provenance? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voulgaroktonou Posted Tuesday at 01:16 AM · Member Author Share Posted Tuesday at 01:16 AM 1 minute ago, CPK said: Wow, congrats on a fantastic acquisition! A Sear plate coin, no less! Do you have any further idea of the coin's provenance? Unfortunately, no. Sure wish I did. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quant.geek Posted Tuesday at 02:05 AM · Member Share Posted Tuesday at 02:05 AM Wow, what a lucky find! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted Tuesday at 11:30 AM · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted Tuesday at 11:30 AM Nice coin and somewhat heavy at 7 grams. I'd like to get a stavraton one day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Kowsky Posted Tuesday at 11:57 AM · Member Share Posted Tuesday at 11:57 AM voulgaroktonou, Congrats on a great score 🤩! A long time ago I scored a handsome nummus of Diocletian, & only discovered it was a plate coin after buying David Sear's ROMAN COINS AND THEIR VALUES, Volume Four, 2011. I did email David asking where he found the coin, but he couldn't remember ☹️. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted Tuesday at 03:13 PM · Member Share Posted Tuesday at 03:13 PM Does the coin show's name contain Hills? If so, I was thinking of going there again. I've picked up minor ancients during the 1990's there, and a nice Probus Ant, purchased in 2009, but never anything of that caliber. I was thinking of going there, to look for a toned Morgan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voulgaroktonou Posted Tuesday at 03:47 PM · Member Author Share Posted Tuesday at 03:47 PM 34 minutes ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said: Does the coin show's name contain Hills? If so, I was thinking of going there again. I've picked up minor ancients during the 1990's there, and a nice Probus Ant, purchased in 2009, but never anything of that caliber. I was thinking of going there, to look for a toned Morgan. Yes. Last Sunday of the month.! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voulgaroktonou Posted Tuesday at 03:48 PM · Member Author Share Posted Tuesday at 03:48 PM 3 hours ago, Al Kowsky said: voulgaroktonou, Congrats on a great score 🤩! A long time ago I scored a handsome nummus of Diocletian, & only discovered it was a plate coin after buying David Sear's ROMAN COINS AND THEIR VALUES, Volume Four, 2011. I did email David asking where he found the coin, but he couldn't remember ☹️. That's a beauty! Yes, it would be wonderful to know the provenance on these plate coins. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sand Posted Tuesday at 05:03 PM · Member Share Posted Tuesday at 05:03 PM (edited) @voulgaroktonou Congratulations on acquiring a Sear plate coin! One can only imagine, where that coin has been. Initial circulation. Burial. Unearthed. From 1 collection, to another, to another. The Mr. Sear photograph. Other collections. And now, it's in your collection. My copy of Sear was printed in 2014, but it seems to be a reprint of the 2nd edition which was 1st printed in 1987. Therefore, the provenance of your coin seems to go back to 1987, or maybe even earlier. The 1st edition of Sear was 1st printed in 1974. If your coin was shown in the 1st edition of Sear, then the provenance would go back to 1974. I think very late Byzantine coins are very interesting. The very late bronze coins, and the very late silver half stavrata and stavrata. It's interesting to study, what the Byzantine Empire was like, during its desperate last few centuries. In the last few centuries of the Byzantine Empire, the Byzantine Empire had declined, from a once vast Empire, to a far frontier of the Christian world. Here's my Manuel II half stavraton. Manuel II. AR Half Stavraton. Minted 1391 AD To 1425 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2551. Grierson 1517. Maximum Diameter 20.2 mm. Weight 3.68 grams. Obverse : Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front, With Halo. Reverse : Manuel II Bust Facing Front, Wearing Crown With Pendilia, With Halo, "M-A-N-O-V-H-Lambda" Greek For "Manuel" Clockwise Starting At 12 O'Clock. Edited Tuesday at 05:38 PM by sand 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ela126 Posted Tuesday at 08:26 PM · Member Share Posted Tuesday at 08:26 PM @voulgaroktonou what an amazing pickup, you must have quite the coin club to have a coin like this show up, congratulations! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voulgaroktonou Posted Tuesday at 11:27 PM · Member Author Share Posted Tuesday at 11:27 PM 6 hours ago, sand said: @voulgaroktonou Congratulations on acquiring a Sear plate coin! One can only imagine, where that coin has been. Initial circulation. Burial. Unearthed. From 1 collection, to another, to another. The Mr. Sear photograph. Other collections. And now, it's in your collection. My copy of Sear was printed in 2014, but it seems to be a reprint of the 2nd edition which was 1st printed in 1987. Therefore, the provenance of your coin seems to go back to 1987, or maybe even earlier. The 1st edition of Sear was 1st printed in 1974. If your coin was shown in the 1st edition of Sear, then the provenance would go back to 1974. I think very late Byzantine coins are very interesting. The very late bronze coins, and the very late silver half stavrata and stavrata. It's interesting to study, what the Byzantine Empire was like, during its desperate last few centuries. In the last few centuries of the Byzantine Empire, the Byzantine Empire had declined, from a once vast Empire, to a far frontier of the Christian world. Here's my Manuel II half stavraton. Manuel II. AR Half Stavraton. Minted 1391 AD To 1425 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2551. Grierson 1517. Maximum Diameter 20.2 mm. Weight 3.68 grams. Obverse : Jesus Christ Bust Facing Front, With Halo. Reverse : Manuel II Bust Facing Front, Wearing Crown With Pendilia, With Halo, "M-A-N-O-V-H-Lambda" Greek For "Manuel" Clockwise Starting At 12 O'Clock. That's a very nice piece, @sand! My coin is not photographed in the first, 1974 edition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voulgaroktonou Posted Tuesday at 11:31 PM · Member Author Share Posted Tuesday at 11:31 PM 3 hours ago, ela126 said: @voulgaroktonou what an amazing pickup, you must have quite the coin club to have a coin like this show up, congratulations! It's a monthly coin show. There are usually ancients, but little Byzantine and almost never any Byzantine silver, which is what interests me most. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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