277, Lot: 363. Estimate $150. Sold for $170. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

AXUM. Gersem. Circa 580-620. Æ Unit (19mm, 1.94 g, 11h). Facing bust, wearing crown with pendilia, holding cruciform scepters in crossed arms, the right only visible / Greek cross within beaded ovoid border. Hahn, Aksumite 53.1; Munro-Hay type 149; BMC Axum 563. VF, green and brown patina, pierced. A heavy example of this scarcer type.

The border on the reverse tapers toward a “cross” that doubles as the “t” of the Ge’ez legend bkrsts ymw (“through Christ he conquers”). Regarding the reverse type, Munro-Hay notes (p. 261) : “The inner circle may be meant to represent a rosary; obvious if the design is rotated 180°.”