Circa 4th-6th centuries. Æ six grammata or six scipula weight (15mm, 6.19 g). VF.

Electronic Auction 541
Lot: 634. Estimated: $ 100

Byzantine, Bronze

Sold For $ 120. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Circa 4th-6th centuries. Æ six grammata or six scipula weight (15mm, 6.19 g). Two imperial busts, both nimbate; S below / Blank. Cf. Bendall, Weights 106 and 108 (for similar); cf. Leu Auction 4, 896 (same). Brown and green-blue patina, once fully inlaid, partial inlay remaining most prominently in the faces and denomination. VF.

This interesting weight, known from very few examples, is either a commercial weight of 6 grammata, or more intriguingly, a coin weight of six scripula – 1 1/2 solidi. If it is indeed a coin weight, then it could have been used as a measure for the extremely rare 1 1/2 solidi known for Anastasius I (NAC 138, 898) and Justin I (SB 54). However, those two coins weigh 6.75 g and 6.65 g (pierced) respectively, making this weight somewhat light for the type. Regardless of its definite usage (which remains presently uncertain), it is a beautiful, rare, and well-preserved early Byzantine weight of great research interest.

Closing Date and Time: 28 June 2023 at 13:31:00 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.