Silver grosh, Tarnovo mint
- Metal
- Silver
- Mint
- Tarnovo
Obverse
Jesus Christ, seated on a throne without a backrest, with long hair and beard. The columns of the throne end with a trefoil decoration. Around the head of Christ is a beaded nimbus, in which a cross is inscribed. He is dressed in a chiton and sindon. With His right hand He blesses sideways, and in His left hand He holds the Gospel on His knees. In the field on both sides of the head are the initials ІС - ХС. The image is enclosed in a beaded circle.
Reverse
Variant A. Tsar Theodore Svetoslav full-length, standing on a subpendion. The ruler wears a stemma with pendilia, with a beard and long moustaches. He is dressed in a sakkos, maniakion, sagion, and loros. In his left hand he holds anexikakia, and in his right a sceptre with a cross. Circular inscription in two parts: СВАТСЛАВ - ЧРЪГАРОМ. Ends with three dots. The image is enclosed in a beaded circle. Variant B. The image is as in Variant A, but the matrix engraving shows a rougher style, the subpendion under the tsar's feet is missing, and the inscription is in large distorted letters. The last letter Л is missing. Variant C. The image is as in Variant B, but the tsar holds a double patriarchal cross.
Reconstructions
Line drawings reconstructing the coin's design from the surviving specimens.
Also struck by Theodore Svetoslav
Coin photographs and reconstruction drawings from A. Radushev & G. Zhekov, Catalogue of Bulgarian Medieval Coins IX–XV c. (Agató, 1999).