Constantius II; AR Siliqua; Thessalonica; 351-355.
Obv. Pearl-diademed head of Constantius II to the right. DN CONSTAN - TIVS PF AVG.
Rv. VOTIS / XXX / MVLTIS / XXXX within a wreath. TES mintmark below.
Silver, 3.26 g, 20 mm, 6h. RIC VIII p. 417 no. 163 and p. 421 no. 205.
Grade: XF, lightly toned.
An interesting feature of the presented siliqua is the use of the imperial portrait in the form of a bust, rather than the typical bust in armor and cloak. This variant of representation is only found on the siliquae of Constantius II. Only about 13 types of 4th-century siliquae featured such a portrait, considering emissions from all imperial mints, both western and eastern. Out of these, only 5, including the one discussed here, were paired with the reverse legend VOTIS XXX MVLTIS XXXX, and all of them belong to rarely encountered varieties.
