Bohemond VI Coin, Sterling Silver Pendant, 8102

This pendant is sold without a chain. Please navigate to our "Chains" section if interested.

HISTORY:

This genuine Crusader coin was struck in the mid-13th century for the County of Tripoli, a coastal Crusader state closely tied to the Principality of Antioch, during the reign of Bohemond VI. By this time, the Latin states of the Levant were in decline, surrounded by stronger and increasingly hostile powers. Coins from this period were practical objects of trade, produced quickly and in limited numbers, reflecting the political and economic strain of the final Crusader generations.

The coin features a bold Latin cross on one side, a clear statement of Christian authority and identity in a contested region. The opposite side bears an eight-pointed star, a design long associated with Tripoli and Antiochene coinage. The imagery is simple and direct, intended to assert legitimacy rather than portraiture. There are no rulers’ faces here, only symbols, which was typical for Crusader coinage in this region and period.

Struck by hand using medieval hammer techniques, these coins were produced in billon or low-silver alloys and vary slightly in size and weight. Irregular edges, uneven strikes, and surface wear are normal and expected. These features are not flaws, but evidence of genuine circulation through markets, ports, and military outposts in one of the most volatile regions of the medieval world.

The inscriptions are minimal and functional, identifying the issuing authority rather than glorifying the ruler. Variants reference Bohemond as count or name the city of Tripoli itself. Coins like this were among the last official issues produced under Latin rule before the Mamluk conquest of Antioch in 1268 brought Crusader authority in northern Syria to an end.

Today, this coin survives as a tangible remnant of that final chapter. Its worn surfaces and stark symbolism reflect a frontier society under constant pressure. Set into jewelry, it remains what it has always been: a real object from a collapsing medieval state, carried forward intact rather than reimagined.