A New AR Siliqua

[DonnaML]

A new siliqua has arrived, my ninth -- all of them so-called "reduced" siliquae. See Sear RCV V at p. 271: “in AD 357 the weight of the [siliqua] denomination was reduced by one-third to 2 scripula or 2.25 grams.” (I rarely see pre-AD 357 siliquae offered, and when I do they're all very expensive.)

Theodosius I, AR reduced Siliqua, AD 379-383 (Aquileia Mint) [Emperor AD 379-395). Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, D N THEODO-SIUS P F AVG / Rev. Constantinopolis, crowned, seated facing on thorne, head to right, holding long scepter in her right hand and cornucopiae in her left, right foot resting on prow, CONCOR-DIA AVGGG; in exergue, AQPS [AQ = Aquileia Mint; PS = pusulatum (struck from pure silver); see Sear RCV V, Introduction p. 70]. 17 mm., 1.71 g., 12 h. RIC IX Aquileia 25 (p. 99), RSC V 4c (ill. p. 172), Sear RCV V 20448 (ill. p. 403). Purchased from Leu Numismatik AG, Winterthur, Switzerland, Web Auction 25, 14 Mar 2023, Lot 2729. 

Constantinopolis certainly has a very sour, "we are not amused" expression on her face, doesn't she?

Please post your AR Siliquae, "reduced" or otherwise. Here are my others, without the write-ups:

Constantius II (from 1887 East Harptree Hoard):

Julian II:

Julian II (from Vale of Pewsey Hoard):

Jovian:

Valens (from 1887 East Harptree Hoard):

Gratian:

Valentinian II:

Magnus Maximus (Vale of Pewsey Hoard):

Edited April 7, 2023 by DonnaML

[Curtisimo]

Congrats on the new example @DonnaML. Looks like you’ve got a fun sub-collection forming. It’s interesting how many of these siliqua still have their hoard provenance intact.

Here is my East Harptree example (1887).

[Romancollector]

Nice addition, @DonnaML Aquileia is more difficult to acquire than mints such as Trier, Lugdunum...etc..

Here's my most recent siliqua. I wanted this coin, which was sitting in a dealer's inventory, for over a year. I never purchased it because I thought the price was absurd. I spoke with the dealer before the August ANA show, and he assured me he would bring his full inventory of ancients to the show. Fast forward to the show, and when I go to his table he already locked up the all ancients (with the exception of a few aurei) and wouldn't let me see them. A few weeks later, the coin disappeared from the dealer's website. When I saw this coin pop up in a recent Stack's auction with other items from that dealer's inventory, I knew I had to win it. Unfortunately, I only saved $100 or so when fees and shipping are taken into account. Nevertheless, I'm very happy to have the coin.

Valentinian I (AD 375-392)

AR Siliqua (18mm, 2.23 gm). Thessalonica mint. AD 364-367. DN VALENTINIANVS PF AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right / RESTITV-TOR REIP, emperor standing front, looking right, holding labarum and Victory on globe. Mintmark TES. RIC IX 12a.                                                     

Ex Stack's Bowers World Collectors Choice Online Auction (27 February 2023), lot 71154.

Ex Spink Auction 16006 (27 September 2016), lot 2903.

Ex East Harptree Hoard (1887).

[Ryro]

Coingrats and read reverse!

Here's one:

Constantius II
AD 337-361. AR Siliqua (20mm, 1.77 g, 5h). Constantinople mint, 11th officina. Struck AD 351-355. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / VOTIS/XXX/MVLTIS/XXXX in four lines; all within wreath; C·IA. RIC VIII 102; RSC 342-3j. holed

[DonnaML]

6 minutes ago, Ryro said:

Coingrats and read reverse!

Here's one:

Constantius II
AD 337-361. AR Siliqua (20mm, 1.77 g, 5h). Constantinople mint, 11th officina. Struck AD 351-355. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / VOTIS/XXX/MVLTIS/XXXX in four lines; all within wreath; C·IA. RIC VIII 102; RSC 342-3j. holed

Thanks. So do you think that's really a crown on Constantinopolis's head on the reverse of my coin? It looks more like tentacles!

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, Curtisimo said:

It’s interesting how many of these siliqua still have their hoard provenance intact.

Indeed. The East Harptree Hoard alone seems to be a gift that never stops giving. I'm not always sure that I believe every dealer who claims without documentation that a particular siliqua came from that hoard, but fortunately I was able to find both of mine in the group lot illustrations in the September 2016 Spink East Harptree Hoard Sale catalog, which is still available online.

[Severus Alexander]

I think that's Lady Catherine de Bourgh on the reverse of your new Theo! "I take no leave of you, Miss. Bennet. I send no compliments to your mother. You deserve no such attention. I am most seriously displeased."  (That reverse is priceless, I love it!)

My Roman siliquae:

Constantius II:

Valens (Arelate as Constantina, rather scarce):

Gratian:

This Eugenius is my most recent acquisition:

[Al Kowsky]

9 hours ago, DonnaML said:

A new siliqua has arrived, my ninth -- all of them so-called "reduced" siliquae. See Sear RCV V at p. 271: “in AD 357 the weight of the [siliqua] denomination was reduced by one-third to 2 scripula or 2.25 grams.” (I rarely see pre-AD 357 siliquae offered, and when I do they're all very expensive.)

Theodosius I, AR reduced Siliqua, AD 379-383 (Aquileia Mint) [Emperor AD 379-395). Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, D N THEODO-SIUS P F AVG / Rev. Constantinopolis, crowned, seated facing on thorne, head to right, holding long scepter in her right hand and cornucopiae in her left, right foot resting on prow, CONCOR-DIA AVGGG; in exergue, AQPS [AQ = Aquileia Mint; PS = pusulatum (struck from pure silver); see Sear RCV V, Introduction p. 70]. 17 mm., 1.71 g., 12 h. RIC IX Aquileia 25 (p. 99), RSC V 4c (ill. p. 172), Sear RCV V 20448 (ill. p. 403). Purchased from Leu Numismatik AG, Winterthur, Switzerland, Web Auction 25, 14 Mar 2023, Lot 2729. 

Constantinopolis certainly has a very sour, "we are not amused" expression on her face, doesn't she?

Please post your AR Siliquae, "reduced" or otherwise. Here are my others, without the write-ups:

Constantius II (from 1887 East Harptree Hoard):

Julian II:

Julian II (from Vale of Pewsey Hoard):

Jovian:

Valens (from 1887 East Harptree Hoard):

Gratian:

Valentinian II:

Magnus Maximus (Vale of Pewsey Hoard):

Excellent group ☺️.

[Al Kowsky]

8 hours ago, Romancollector said:

Nice addition, @DonnaML Aquileia is more difficult to acquire than mints such as Trier, Lugdunum...etc..

Here's my most recent siliqua. I wanted this coin, which was sitting in a dealer's inventory, for over a year. I never purchased it because I thought the price was absurd. I spoke with the dealer before the August ANA show, and he assured me he would bring his full inventory of ancients to the show. Fast forward to the show, and when I go to his table he already locked up the all ancients (with the exception of a few aurei) and wouldn't let me see them. A few weeks later, the coin disappeared from the dealer's website. When I saw this coin pop up in a recent Stack's auction with other items from that dealer's inventory, I knew I had to win it. Unfortunately, I only saved $100 or so when fees and shipping are taken into account. Nevertheless, I'm very happy to have the coin.

Valentinian I (AD 375-392)

AR Siliqua (18mm, 2.23 gm). Thessalonica mint. AD 364-367. DN VALENTINIANVS PF AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right / RESTITV-TOR REIP, emperor standing front, looking right, holding labarum and Victory on globe. Mintmark TES. RIC IX 12a.                                                     

Ex Stack's Bowers World Collectors Choice Online Auction (27 February 2023), lot 71154.

Ex Spink Auction 16006 (27 September 2016), lot 2903.

Ex East Harptree Hoard (1887).

That's the finest example I've seen from the East Harptree Hoard 😲!

[Al Kowsky]

My only siliqua came from a Great Collections auction; it's nothing to brag about but it cost me only $60 slabbed ☺️.

[ComicMan]

17 hours ago, DonnaML said:

Julian II (from Vale of Pewsey Hoard):

 

I really want a bearded Julian Siliqua, so words cannot describe how jelly I am of this one, congrats! How much did it go for if you don't mind answering that?

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, ComicMan said:

I really want a bearded Julian Siliqua, so words cannot describe how jelly I am of this one, congrats! How much did it go for if you don't mind answering that?

It was 240 GBP plus the buyer's fee in the Noonans Vale of Pewsey Hoard auction last May.

Edited April 7, 2023 by DonnaML

[Qcumbor]

I like siliquae, and your recent acquisition is no exception @DonnaML

Mine

Constantius II

 

Valentinian I

 

Valens :

 

Gratian :

 

Valentinian II

 

Theodosius :

 

Magnus Maximus :

 

Honorius :

 

Arcadius :

 

Theodosius II :

 

Q

[ComicMan]

14 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

It was 240 GBP plus the buyer's fee in the Noonans Vale of Pewsey Hoard auction last May.

Congrats! I would love to find one for that price haha. You definitely have one of the more attractive beareded designs too, compared to this:

The second one is also Harptree by the way.

I am also looking for a good Constantius II now that I think about it, but the thing is that I don't really care for Votive obverses so either the portrait really has to sell me (as is the case on bearded Julian) or I am looking for one with a Victory on it, or one of the other less common designs.

[John Conduitt]

23 hours ago, Curtisimo said:

It’s interesting how many of these siliqua still have their hoard provenance intact.

I suspect it’s because 80% of all late Roman silver hoards from 388 to 410 have been found in Britain, where hoard provenances have been well-recorded. In the earlier days Lord this or that bought entire hoards to record them and write references, while more recently they have been captured by the Portable Antiquities Scheme rather than being smuggled anonymously to other countries.

Gratian Siliqua, 367-375

Treveri. Silver, 2.03g. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; DN GRATIA-NVS P F AVG. Roma seated left, holding Victory and sceptre; VRBS - ROMA, mintmark TRPS (RIC 27f). From the Otterbourne (Hampshire) Hoard 1978.

[Theoderic]

Lovely siliquae from everyone.  For a long time I've being looking to obtain a nice example with a hoard provenance such as East Harptree but still no luck.  However, I am fortunate to have a rather handsome early and heavy siliqua of Constantius II:

 

 

AR Siliqua (20 mm, 3.09 grams, 12h), Struck A.D. 340-350, Siscia mint (Sisak, Croatia)

Obverse: CONSTANTI-VS P F AVG, laurel and rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right

Reverse: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and trophy; SIS (pellet in crescent) in exergue

Reference: RIC VIII 170

Provenance: Helios 3 (April 29-30, 2009), lot 268; ex Triton XI (January 8-9, 2008), lot 1002

[Pellinore]

Most attractive little coins! I was happy to buy a Harptree siliqua, too, three years ago in the midst of Covid times. 

 

2807. AR siliqua Julian II. Obv. Diademed bust t.r. Rev. VOT X MVLT XX. 17.5 mm, 2.19 gr. East Harptree Hoard 1887-17935-451988. Ex-CNG. RIC 309, 312. RSC 148c. 
DN FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG; dr., cuir. and pearl diad. bust r. VOTIS/X/MVLT/XX in wreath with medallion in center containing eagle [???]; in ex, SCONST. RIC 309; good VF, minor striking weakness, toned. From the East Harptree, Somerset Hoard (found 1887, published by J. Evans in NC (1888) p. 22-46 and A. Robertson, Inventory of Romano-British Coin Hoards, 1424). Bought from Gert Boersema, July 2020.
 

[DonnaML]

13 hours ago, Theoderic said:

Lovely siliquae from everyone.  For a long time I've being looking to obtain a nice example with a hoard provenance such as East Harptree but still no luck.  However, I am fortunate to have a rather handsome early and heavy siliqua of Constantius II:

 

 

AR Siliqua (20 mm, 3.09 grams, 12h), Struck A.D. 340-350, Siscia mint (Sisak, Croatia)

Wow, that's a gorgeous coin! If I'm not mistaken, it's the earliest siliqua -- and the only pre-reduction example -- posted in this thread. I saw some early siliquae offered in an auction not too long ago (I don't remember which one), but the estimates were way too high for me to bother trying. 

In general, the reduced siliquae are my favorite kind of Late Roman coin: much more attractive (in my opinion!) than most LRBs, while also being much less expensive as a rule than most argentei or solidi.