175, Lot: 269. Estimate $100. Sold for $140. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Leo I. AD 457-474. AR 1/2 Siliqua (14mm, 0.74 g). Contemporary imitation of Constantinople mint. Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / SAL/REI/PUI (sic) in three lines within wreath; CONS*. RIC X 650; RSC 12†a. VF, find patina, edge chip.

Although siliquae of this type were struck throughout Leo's reign, Kent (in RIC) identified a similar series distinguished by a blundered legend, consistently lower weight (circa 0.71 g), and atypical fabric. Their origin and official character, however, remain uncertain, due the lack of a parallel for them in other reigns and the absence of any published evidence of provenance. As such, Kent tentatively labeled them as imitative.