Weight or Coin?

Sale: Triton X, Lot: 867. Estimate $2500.  Closing Date: Monday, 8 January 2007.  Sold For $2000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Andronicus II Palaeologus, with Michael IX. 1282-1328. AR Basilikon or Weight for Basilika (2.77 g, 6h). Constantinople mint. Andronicus and Michael standing facing, holding patriarchal cross between them / +XAP/AGMACEP/ TOKAT AB/OLIKVBD/LLV in five lines across field, some letters ligate. Bendall, Weights 22; PCPC 383. Good VF, typical flat areas, light graffiti on reverse. Extremely rare.

The legend on the reverse of these coins translates as “Money from the Sacred Mint discredits false coin,” which seems to suggest that they are coin weights. The fact that they are left out of DOC V reinforces this view. However, the basilikon was introduced by Andronicus as a new silver denomination, and the legend may also imply that these types were the first. Bendall noted that the weights of the known examples are all slightly higher than the standard Basilikon of 2.4g. Thus, these issues could possibly be a trial run at a slightly higher weight, one that was discounted in favor of the lower weight types that became the standard issue.