Bronze Coin Set in Silver Pendant: Levon III

A tiny coin with a lettered rim and a cross-like device at the center.

This bronze coin set in silver pendant, Levon III, is from Armenia and dates to 1303 to 1307 CE. It is bronze and sterling silver. Armenian Cilicia issued small bronze coins with inscriptions around the edge, usually naming the ruling king. The coin shows a ring of letters around a circular device with crossed shapes at the center, the copper-red surface rubbed smooth. A double silver frame with small pointed brackets holds it, and a tapering bail sits at the top. It is 1.75 inches high and 1.25 in diameter.

Seven centuries old, and still legible at the edges.