Unique Variety of Extremely Rare Type

Triton XIV, Lot: 1140. Estimate $3000. Sold for $5500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Maurice Tiberius. 582-602. AR Light Siliqua (20mm, 1.92 g, 6h). “Ceremonial” coinage. Constantinople mint. Struck 583/4-602. [oN] mA[V] ЄI P P AVC, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Cross potent between two palm fronds. DOC -; MIBE 55 var. (bust also helmeted); SB 489B var. (same). EF, areas of flat-strike. Apparently unique variety of an extremely rare type.

Published ceremonial siliquas of Maurice Tiberius all display a bust that is helmeted in addition to being diademed. This coin, however, is well-struck in the area where a helmet would appear and, lacking any trace of a helmet, suggests that a semissis die may have been used to strike the obverse (cf. MIBE 17).