Watch List notes:

BYZANTINE SEALS. Petros, Protonotarios of Thrace? and Imperial Spatharios, Circa 10th century. Seal or Bulla (Lead, 25 mm, 12.37 g, 12 h). KE ROHΘH TΩ/CΩ Δ૪Λ Nimbate bust of St. Peter holding the Keys of Heaven in his right hand and a long cross in his left hand. Rev. + /ΠΕΤΡΩ/ Α'CΠΑΘΑP'/ S ANOTAP,/ T, ΘPAK' in five lines within plain dotted border. Possibly unpublished except for the prior auction appearances of this example. Extremely interesting and rare iconography for the Apostle Peter. Nearly very fine.



The way history makes circles always amazes me.. Many of us have heard of the late Petros Protonotarios, who was a distinguished Ophthalmologist and one of the great collectors of Byzantine coins. Some of his pieces appeared as the "Despot Collection" in the unparalleled LHS 97 sale catalogued by Alan Walker. It is amazing how many Byzantine surnames and titles have survived to become surnames of modern Greek people. DG.