200, Lot: 422. Estimate $100. Sold for $210. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

BYZANTINE, Pilgrim Token. After 630. (18mm, 1.73 g). Large cross; two facing busts (Constantine and Helena?) flanking / Blank. Fair condition, deposits.

From the Norman Frank Collection.

The return of the Holy Cross to Jerusalem in 630 AD was a momentous event in Christendom, with large numbers of pilgrims journeying to the city to see the sacred relic. Tokens such as this, produced from terra-cotta allegedly mixed with the ashes of a burnt piece of the Cross, became popular with visitors desiring a memento of their journey.