★ Excellent for the Type ★

Kingdom of Axum, Joel Gilt AR Unit. Circa AD 590-610. Crowned and draped bust facing, cross and pendants on crown; pellet in inner right field, cross in outer right field, Ge'ez legend "king Joel" around / XVAPECH (interpretation uncertain - "may (the cross) of Christ please"?), cross with punch hole in centre. Hahn & Keck 86.34 (this coin); cf. SACAM 428-36 (varying obv. symbols/letters, non with cross in outer right obv. field); H 57; AC 129; Vaccaro 57. 0.83g, 11mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine; traces of gold inlay on rev, an excellent of the type.

This coin cited in W.R.O Hahn and R. Keck, Münzgeschichte der AksumitenKönige in der Spätantike, Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Numismatik und Geldgeschichte der Universität Wien Vol. 21 (2020);
From the Maekelay-Tigray Collection, reported to have been privately purchased from the Francesco Vaccaro (1903-1990) Collection.