Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 947. Estimate $2000.  Closing Date: Monday, 5 January 2009.  Sold For $2600. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

GEORGIA, Kingdom. Giorgi II. 1072-1089. AR Dram (1.16 g, 5h). Struck 1081-1089. MHP ΘV, facing bust of Theotokos, orans / "+ God preserve Giorgi, King of the Abkhazians and K'artl'i, Caesar" in Georgian, in margin and continuing in central field. Cf. Pakhamov pl. IV, 59; Kapanadze 48; Dobrovolsky 7; Lang p. 19-20. VF. Rare and much superior to the chipped specimen in Gorny & Mosch 143 (12 October 2005), lot 5614, which sold for €1650.

Ex Triton IX (10 January 2006), lot 1898.

Giorgi II's reign was a constant scene of chaos and warfare, as the beleaguered Georgian king fought off disaffected rebellious nobles and constant Seljuq incursions, the "didi turkoba". Giorgi was forced to grant wide autonomy to the nobles, and in 1082 agreed to become a tributary principality of the Seljuqs. The country was further devastated by a great earthquake in 1083. Giorgi abdicated in favor of his son in 1089, and retired to a monastery. David IV, the Builder, restored much of Georgian unity and autonomy, and his father Giorgi died in 1112.