Billon Aspron Trachy – Alexius I, Constantinople (1081-1092 AD), Cup-shaped Byzantine Coin

Alexius I Komnenos (1081-1118 AD), minted in Constantinople. Struck in billon (a copper-based alloy with a silver content), this coin features a distinctive concave (cup-shaped) form, typical of Byzantine trachy coins.

On the obverse, Christ is depicted enthroned, wearing a nimbus crown, raising His right hand in benediction and holding a codex in His left hand. The inscriptions IC and XC appear in the fields.

The reverse shows Emperor Alexius I facing forward, wearing a crown and jewelled chlamys, holding a sceptre surmounted by a pelleted star in his right hand and a globus cruciger in his left.

Specifications:

✔ Metal: Billon (copper with a silver content)

✔ Diameter: 27mm

✔ Weight: 3.27g

✔ Mint: Constantinople

✔ Date: 1081-1092 AD