★ The Finest known example!!! ★
Bohémond I AD 1098-1111. Antioch
Follis Æ
22mm., 3,57g.
O [Π-Є] to right, TP(ligate)-O-[C] to left, nimbate bust of St. Peter facing, wearing tunic, raising his right hand in benediction and holding cross sceptre with his left / Cross, globe at the ends of each arm, floral ornaments at lower left and right, B H M T in angles.
good very fine
Metcalf 47; Schl. II, 4.
Almost certainly the finest known example of this well-preserved and extremely rare type of coin, and definitely superior to the only other specimen offered in recent years. The Crusade never had one designated long term leader from the start, it had a council of nobles which guided it; one of the most important leaders was Bohemond of Taranto, 'the eldest son of the legendary Norman Robert Guiscard ' , one of the leaders of the first crusade and the founder of the long-living Principality of Antiochia. Bohemond’s coinage is extremely rare today, and highly sought after by numismatic collectors specialising in the Crusade period and seeking to broaden their collection with exquisite rare coins most of which are in fantastic condition. The coin variations are based on the official bullae which Bohemond used as Prince of Taranto in 1090.