ARMENIA, Cilician Armenia. Royal. Gosdantin I, 1298-1299. Double Tram (Silver, 28 mm, 5.72 g, 7 h), Sis. +ԿՈՍՏԱՆԴԻԱՆՈՍ ԹԱԳՈՐ ՀԱՅՈՑ ('Gosdantin King of the Armenians' in Armenian) Gosdantin, bearded and crowned, on horseback to right, his head facing, holding the reins with his left hand and a sword in his right; below, three pellets. Rev. +ԿԱՐՈՂՈԻԹԲՆ ԱՅ Ե ԹԱԿԱԻՈՐ ('by the will of God he is King' in Armenian) Gosdantin, bearded and crowned, standing facing in a long elaborate tunic, holding sword in his right hand and short Latin cross in his left; between his feet, two pellets; to lower left, three pellets. AC -. CCA -. L. A. Saryan: An unpublished silver double tram of Gosdantin I (1298-1299), King of Armenia, in: AJN 12 (2000), pp. 195-204 and pl. 26 var. (without the pellets on either side). Leu 3, 27 October 2018, 362 (same dies). Extremely rare and of great historical interest. Lustrous and in exceptional condition. Light doubling and with a few minor deposits, otherwise, extremely fine.



Cilician Armenia emerged as a strong regional power in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, following the Byzantine Empire's decline after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. In 1198/9, with support from the Pope and the Byzantine and Holy Roman Emperors, Prince Levon II was crowned as King Levon I (1198/9–1219), becoming the first ruler of a unified Cilician Armenia. Levon and his successors played significant roles in the ongoing struggles among the Byzantine Empire, the Latin Crusader Kingdoms, various Muslim principalities and sultanates, and the Mongol Ilkhanids. However, rebellious Armenian nobles often undermined the effectiveness of royal authority.

The decade from 1289 to 1299 was particularly turbulent, marked by infighting among Levon II's four sons - Hethoum II, Thoros III, Smpad, and Gosdantin I. In 1298, Gosdantin I defeated Smpad, who had previously overthrown and imprisoned Hethoum II in 1296. Gosdantin ruled for a year while Hethoum, partially blinded by Smpad, recovered from his injuries. When Hethoum regained the throne in 1299, Gosdantin and Smpad conspired against him, but both were eventually arrested and imprisoned for life.

Gosdantin's coinage is very rare, and uniquely features the monarch holding a sword in his right hand - a notable symbol likely representing his victory over his brother Smpad. It was long thought that Gosdantin, aside from a few extremely rare gold coins (only two of which are known), issued only silver trams and bronze kardezs. Thus, the discovery of a unique double tram, published by Saryan in 2000, was a major surprise, especially given that this unusual denomination had not been minted since Levon I’s death in 1219. The extreme rarity of this double tram suggests it served a ceremonial rather than commercial role, possibly commemorating Gosdantin’s accession and distributed among his highest officers and followers. Since the piece published by Saryan in 2000, two additional examples have surfaced: one was auctioned by us in 2018 in Auction 3 (lot number 362), and another, in poor condition, appeared at Roma in 2020. This present piece is therefore likely the fourth known example.