Where were Tsar Ivan Alexander’s Copper Coins of the Type “The Tsar Standing/ Jesus Christ on Throne” Minted?

Authors:

Pages: 231-244
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/ZNRG3782

Abstract:

During the reign of Ivan Alexander, the Varna region used mostly coins that were not minted in Tarnovo. In this respect, this region differs from all other areas in northeastern Bulgaria, where Tarnovo issues clearly predominate over those minted elsewhere. So far, coins of the type “The tsar standing and holding a cross/ Jesus Christ on throne” have only been found in the fortified port town of Kastritsi and in the 14th-century settlement above the ruins of the 9th – 11th-century Monastery of the Holy Virgin, as a result of excavations. It is assumed that they were issued in Cherven or somewhere else in the Ruse region. It turns out that these are the most frequently found copper coins of Tsar Ivan Alexander in Kastritsi, yet, they are not found in any large medieval city in northeastern Bulgaria. Based on their distribution, it should be assumed that they were minted in Varna after 1352/ 1355 when, for some reason, the influx of copper coins from Tarnovo to Varna ceased.

Keywords:

Ivan Alexander; coins of the types “The tsar standing and holding a cross/ Jesus Christ on throne”; Varna; Kastritsi; Cherven

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