geota

Looks like an earlier version of an Orthodox baptismal medal/ducat. (Most of what's available online is from the late 19th and early 20th century and round in form, although square/diamond and drop-shaped forms also exist, but more rarely. You can search Google for 'Russia baptismal medal', etc.) The writing looks Greek, but not all letters are legible in the photos. The scenes and artwork resemble those of the later pieces mentioned above. These were made in the Balkans (Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, etc.) in the late 19th and early 20th century and possibly even earlier - 17th and 18th centuries. The even earlier pieces were originally made in the Holy Land (Jerusalem. Bethlehem, etc.) around the 17th century or possibly even earlier. (The Holy Land and the Balkans were in the Ottoman empire at that time.) They were sold to pilgrims visiting the Holy Land as souvenirs and also as 'blessed' gold. (Someone had mentioned that under Ottoman rules the sales and wearing of crosses was prohibited and these medals with religious scenes were the alternative approved by the Ottoman authorities. But, this information, although sounding plausible, is unchecked and unconfirmed by me.) In Orthodox tradition these are gifted to newly baptized (or newborn) persons by their god parents and/or parents. The smaller pieces were actually tied to the wrists of the children and the larger ones were worn later in life as coin jewelry of simply held in a safe place as heirloom gold pieces. There are some huge ones - more than 50 mm / 2 in. in diameter and more than a troy ounce of gold in weight. It's worth mentioning that as high karat gold pieces they were used as trade coins in their secondary role (like anything else of high karat gold at that time). That's why they are sometimes called baptismal ducats (just like their German equivalents). Some of the larger Orthodox pieces even have the pseudo denomination as part of the design, depicting "( 4 # )" at 6 o'clock, resembling the Austrian 4 ducats. Hope this helps.