At an auction in New York on September 14, 2014 a rare gold coin was taken out, from the so-called barbarian imitations of Byzantine solidi, which was identified by Stankov as a coin of the Bulgarian Khan Asparuh and was bought from him on the Internet.
This is a historical sensation, until now it was believed that Bulgarian coinage began under Tsar Ivan Asen II. And it was explained to the students in elementary schools in our country that during the time of Khan Asparuh, coins were not minted, because the country was dominated by subsistence farming and the available Byzantine coins were sufficient for payments.
Therefore, when Mitko Stankov called from Vienna to say that he had discovered and bought an Asparuh coin at an auction in New York, it seemed incredible. From e-vestnik we reported the sensation to numismatists, who initially also showed distrust. But after seeing the photos from the auction catalog and Stankov’s explanations, they reacted differently (we publish comments from numismatists separately).
Vienna-based expert Mitko Stankov has been accused by Bulgarian cops for years of leading a mafia for the export of cultural values from Bulgaria (see more about him here). Contrary to the widespread allegations about Stankov in our country, in the West he is a consultant to some of the largest auction houses, and collectors and auctions from all over the world seek him out for assessments and expertise. In our country, some numismatists consider him the greatest Bulgarian expert in this field.
Stankov noticed the coin in the auction catalog of CNG – Classical Numismatic Group Inc. (see
Since this is truly a sensational revelation and statement, many will doubt whether a collector simply does not want to make a fuss about a coin he owns, so the first questions are directed to him.
Mitko Stankov: Let the brave come out and say that it is not true
– In the auction catalog, was the coin presented as belonging to the Bulgarian ruler Asparuh?
– No. The specialists (numismatists) from CNG had determined it as a coin of an unknown Germanic tribe, but had dated it generally to the 6th-7th century. The description says that it is an imitation of a solidus of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IV the Persecuted.
– Why do you claim then that it belongs to Asparuh? The best scientists and numismatists work in such famous auction houses. Is it possible that they made a mistake, incorrectly identified the coin? Don’t you think that you could be wrong?
– This is not a question of a mistake. They did not “recognize” it, due to the fact that in the periphery of Byzantium (the Eastern Roman Empire, as it should be called), from that time various so-called n. “barbarian imitations” of the official gold coin issues. Some of these imitations were minted in provincial mints. They are distinguished by the different style of the images, their incomplete and sometimes erroneous inscriptions, lower weight than the standard or with a reduced gold content. But there are also those that are attributed to various “barbarian” tribes – Lombards, Huns, Lombards, Ostrogoths and others. Due to the “barbarian” style of the coin and the “meaningless” inscription, the numismatists from CNG have decided that the most likely issuer is precisely “an unknown Germanic tribe”.
- Okay. You oppose their opinion, you claim that the coin was minted precisely by Khan Asparuh. So it seems that you are ignoring the opinion of some of the greatest numismatists in order to “enrich” the evidence for the history of the Bulgarian state?
– I had enough time to analyze and consider everything that would support or refute my claim that the coin from the CNG auction catalog was minted not by another ruler, but by Khan Asparuh.
I first saw this coin more than eight years ago. A man who had other coins showed it to me. He explained to me that they were found in Dobrudja. I offered him everything I could to sell it to me, but we could not reach an agreement.
After some time, I saw it in the Freeman & Sear auction catalog (Freeman & Sear 10, 11 February 2004), under number 511. Unfortunately, this was after the auction had already passed. And there it was described, as it is now in the CNG catalog – an unknown German tribe. I tried to find out who the lucky buyer was, but like all colleagues in the industry, Freeman & Sear refused to give out their client. Fortunately for me, about two months ago I received CNG auction catalog number 88 and saw that the same coin was being offered for sale again. The coin was valued at $1,500. I waited patiently until the auction date. At the last second I emailed my bid – I had written a significantly higher figure. I won the coin for $3,750.
– What proves that it belongs to Khan Asparuh?
– Here is the first argument: location – Dobrudja. In the seventh century there were no German tribes there. Dobrudja is located within the borders of Khan Asparuh’s state. Even if there were no inscriptions, a hypothesis for qualifying it as Bulgarian would be no less logical than as German.
Second argument: On the reverse (obverse) of the coin, the letters C, A, N and V are clearly read. On the obverse (front side) – the letter A, a monogram and V. My reading of the inscription as a whole (reverse and front) is CAN CV A(SPAR)V. = ASPARV(H). On the famous gold medallion of Khan Omurtag the inscription is CANE SYBHГI WMORTAГ. Vasil Zlatarski says: From the official inscriptions in Greek, which have come down to us from pagan times, we learn that this is how the title of the Bulgarian khans was written on the famous stone inscriptions bearing their names.
Third argument: The solidi (gold coins) of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IV the Persecuted (668-685), which are the prototype for the coin at the auction, were minted in the period 674-681. After 681, this type was never produced again in the mints of the empire. The science of numismatics has proven it in an indisputable way, but this is not the place to comment on it. This is guaranteed. Therefore, the “sovereign” who minted the “imitations” was a contemporary of this Eastern Roman ruler. As the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes commented: Unable to oppose the Bulgarians, Emperor Constantine IV “made peace with them, agreeing to pay them an annual tribute, to the shame of the Romans”. It was strange that he (i.e. the emperor) “who had made all his tax payers, east and west, north and south, should be defeated by this filthy and newly emerged people”. According to historians, the peace treaty between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Bulgarian ruler was concluded in the summer of 681. With this act, Byzantium sanctioned an unforgettable defeat and for the first time recognized the emergence of a new state – Bulgaria.
This is also the date of minting the gold solidi of Khan Asparuh. The minting of the solidi of Khan Asparuh began immediately after the conclusion of the peace treaty in the summer of 681. The quality of the metal content is pure gold. Its weight corresponds to the weight standard and norms of contemporary Byzantine coins (of the Eastern Roman Empire). The newly discovered coin is an unprecedented scientific sensation.
I will also mention several other, already known monuments that have some significant common elements with the newly discovered gold coin:
- The lead seal of Khan and Caesar Tervel. On the obverse, Tervel is represented in the same way as his father Khan Asparuh.
- The gold medallion with the image of Khan/Khan Omurtag, found in Veliko Tarnovo, on which the inscription reads:CANE SYBHГI WMORTAGГ. The title is the same as on the gold solidus of Khan Asparuh.
If I had been told years ago that there was a coin of Khan Asparuh, I would have laughed. But, here it is a fact.
– Skeptics in our country will say that you want to raise the price of a coin you own?
– Yes, I want to make it 100 million, but no one is crazy enough to pay that much (affectingly). It is a matter of pride for me to have revealed such a historical fact and document. That is why I am calling to inform you. Stefka Kostadinova jumped 2 meters and something, I jumped 5 meters, if we have to compare. For me, this is an achievement. I declare it openly, on my own behalf.
– Aren’t you worried that many people will think it’s a fake?
– Isn’t it enough that the greatest specialist, whose name is David Sears, sold this coin once in 2004? Now another authoritative auction is selling it again. Let the Bulgarian authorities, Prof. Yurukova, etc., say whether it’s authentic. Whoever wants to in the world, let them stand against this statement of mine. Let the brave come forward and say that it’s not true. This is not something I’m saying, but it has come out as authentic by world authorities. Let someone say “Such an animal is dumb.”
– Can modern methods of analysis prove if this is a fake?
– I refuse to discuss. Whoever wants to come up with the opposite theses. There are laboratories that want to check, I don’t want to impose my opinion. I had to publish this in a Western scientific journal and that’s it. I shouldn’t have mentioned it at all, because in this failed state they will say that “such an animal is silent”.
I am an expert in numismatics, I pronounce a verdict. This is it.
Description of the coin by Mitko Stankov:
A gold solidus weighing 4.21 g, 18 mm, position of the obverse relative to the reverse seal 1 o’clock. The obverse (front side) of the coin depicts a bust of a man with a short beard facing (in full face), dressed in mail and with a helmet with a crest and a pearl diadem on his head, holding a spear on his right shoulder. In the field to the left of the bust is a large letter A, and to the right is a monogram and the letter V. Above the letter A, the two ends of the ribbon (ties) of the diadem are visible.
The reverse (back side) of the coin depicts a high cross with four steps, on either side of which stand two stylized human figures, dressed in togas and armed with swords (sabres). In the field on the right is the Latin letter C (negative) and below it the letter V, on the left the letter A, and below the cross the letter N (negative).
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