Very Rare Rome Mint Leo III

Triton XVIII, Lot: 1329. Estimate $2000. Sold for $6250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Leo III the "Isaurian", with Constantine V. 717-741. Pale AV Tremissis (14mm, 1.30 g, 6h). Rome mint. Dated RY 6 (722/3 or 726/7?). D NO LЄ P A MЧL, crowned bust facing, wearing chlamys, holding globus cruciger in right hand / D NO CON–TANTI, crowned bust facing, wearing chlamys, holding globus cruciger in right hand; star to left, ς to right. DOC 78-88 var. (date); Ricotti-Prina 100 var. (same); SB 1534 var. (same). Good VF. Very rare and apparently unpublished for this date.

From the Jonathan K. Kern Collection. Ex CNG Inventory 915208 (January 2012); “Important Collection of Byzantine Coins” (Sincona 3, 25 October 2011), lot 3437; Gorny & Mosch 107 (2 April 2001), lot 675.

There has been no satisfactory explanation for the system of dates on the solidi and tremisses of Leo III from the Rome mint, if indeed they are dates at all. Ricotti-Pina dated the parallel solidus with the numeral ς to 722/3, corresponding to the sixth year of Leo’s reign, but similar issues of Leo with Constantine dated A through Γ could not follow this scheme, as Constantine was not raised to the throne until 720. The series as a whole is in need of a thorough study incorporating stylistic and metrological analyses.