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Constans II. 641-668. AR Half Siliqua (10mm, 0.34 g, 12h). Carthage mint. Struck circa 647. Draped facing bust, wearing crown with trefoil decoration, holding globus cruciger; • to right / Cross, pellets flanking; below, PA/[X]. Cf. DOC 132 (for type); cf. MIB 157a (same); cf. SB 1050 (same); cf. Aue, Silbermünzen 157A (same). Toned, chipped, minor die rust. Good VF. Very rare, possibly unique variety. FRAGILE.
An interesting variety for two primary reasons. 1) the crown on this coin is decorated with a trefoil rather than the otherwise encountered cross-circlet. 2) There is a clear pellet on the obverse to the right of the bust that has formerly not been witnessed on examples of this issue. Aue suggests on pp. 97-100 that the progression of pellets may refer to an emission order. Unfortunately, while this example does offer a new data point for exploring this hypothesis, it is not sufficient evidence to make a definite determination one way or the other. What is evident on this coin’s reverse are two pellets flanking the cross as in Aue’s 157A-C. What is not evident is any pellet between the P and A as in 157B-C. Thus, one may conclude that this issue should be placed between 157A and 157B. Other hypotheses could additionally be suggested. Ultimately, this coin represents an interesting new find among the rare corpus of PAX type Carthage half siliquae that is sure to make an excellent addition to any Byzantine silver collection.
Closing Date and Time: 4 October 2023 at 15:50:00 ET.
All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.
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