Armenia was elevated from a Baronial to a Kingdom in 1198 AD. Levon held two titles during his reign. He reigned as Baron: Levon II from 1187-1198 AD, then as King: Levon I from 1198 till his death in 1219 AD.

This Coronation Tram not only marked an important status change for Levon, but for Armenia itself. The obverse shows Levon kneeling before Christ with devine light shining down. The Armenian legend on the rim translates 'LEVON KING OF ARMENIANS. The reverse shows two rampant lions with a cross between them. The Armenian legend translates 'BY THE POWER OF GOD'.



ARMENIA (KINGDOM)~AR Coronation Tram c.1198 AD

King: Hetoum I reigned from 1226-1270 AD. During his reign, he had done some political and diplomatic wrangling to save his kingdom from the approaching Mongolian hoard. As a result, Hetoum aggreed to allow Armenia to fall under Mongol suzerainty, thus leaving his position more or less in tact.

The Bilingual Tram shown was issued between 1236-1245 AD. The obverse show Hetoum holding a staff mounted on horseback with Armenian legend along the rim with Hetoum's name and status. The reverse shows 4 lines of Arabic text with the name and title of Kaykhusraw II from the Seljuq tribe.



ARMENIA (KINGDOM)~AR Bilingual Tram 1236-1245 AD

Daniel,
  Those are very nice coins that you have got there.

There's a whole lot of Armenian coins depicted up on http://www.zeno.ru .

This includes the coins of the modern Republic of Armenia.

Aidan.

Daniel,
  Those are very nice coins that you have got there.

There's a whole lot of Armenian coins depicted up on http://www.zeno.ru .

This includes the coins of the modern Republic of Armenia.

Aidan.

Thanks 'Aidan'. While it's not my specialty, I do find coins from medieval Armenia interesting. Most coins from the Kingdom of Armenia are relatively easy to find, however, there are a few that are moderately to extremely difficult to aquire. The bilingual Tram is one of the rarer specimens from the royal period. Another group which seems extremely rare, are coins from the Baronial of Armenia (1080-1198 AD). Baronial issues seem nearly impossible to find, and when found are usually mediocre grade with prices being at least three digits. Still, I keep my eyes open on Ebay hoping fate will throw me a bone.

~Daniel.

Daniel,
  Do you collect the coins of the Republic of Armenia at all?

There's one series of coins that definitely do belong in an Armenian coin collection - the coins & medal-coins of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian-speaking country that is the subject of a dispute between Armenia & Azerbaijan,with wars being fought at various times since 1988.

Aidan.

Daniel,
  Do you collect the coins of the Republic of Armenia at all?

There's one series of coins that definitely do belong in an Armenian coin collection - the coins & medal-coins of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian-speaking country that is the subject of a dispute between Armenia & Azerbaijan,with wars being fought at various times since 1988.

Aidan.

Actually I do know of Nagorno-Karabakh. It's a predominantly Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan. It has declared itself independent after many skirmishes, but I don't think it's been internationally recognised. I don't have any coins or notes as of yet. Thanks for the notice.

~Daniel.