Empire of Trebizond. Alexius II, AD 1297-1330. AR, Asper. 2.25 g. 23.62 mm. Obv: OAЄV ΓЄN. St. Eugenius, nimbate, on horseback right, cruciform scepter in right hand. Rev: AEΛEX/O-MN (LEX in monogram and MN ligate). Alexius II, wearing crown with pendilia, on horseback right, scepter in right hand. Ref: SB 2619. Very Fine. The accession of Alexius II in 1297 marked a radical typological rupture in the numismatic history of the Empire of Trebizond. As documented by Otto Retowski (1910) in his foundational monograph Die Münzen der Komnenen von Trapezunt (pp. 110–131), the traditional Byzantine-style standing figure dies that had previously dominated circulation were entirely abandoned. Under this new monetary regime, the empire initiated the striking of both the patron saint of the city, St. Eugenius, on the obverse and the imperial portrait on the reverse as equestrian figures, thereby establishing the definitive iconographic signature of Trebizond numismatics. The socio-political dynamics underpinning this abrupt iconographic transition are further elucidated by Simon Bendall (2015) in An Introduction to the Coinage of the Empire of Trebizond. Bendall contextualizes the equestrian monetary reform of the Trapezuntine court not as a mere aesthetic modification, but as a direct synthesis of the intensive military and cultural interactions with adjacent powers. Specifically, this hybrid iconography reflects the equestrian traditions of the Ilkhanid Mongol Empire, to which Trebizond was a tributary state, combined with the artistic legacy of the neighboring Kingdom of Georgia (notably their equestrian St. George motifs) integrated via the dynastic lineage of Alexius II’s consort. The Rebirth of Trebizond Numismatics