Commemorative Series, circa 330-340. 1/3 Siliqua (Silver, 11 mm, 1.00 g, 12 h), Constantinopolis. Draped female bust (Helena?) to right, wearing single pendant earring and elaborate necklace. Rev. Large K within pelleted circle. Bendall, Anonymous silver, RN 158 (2002), Type 5b. Ramskold, Coins and medallions (2011), p. 144, fig. 12B (this coin). Ramskold, Constantine's SPES PVBLIC coins (2020), p. 320, fig. 58D (this coin). Apparently unique. Beautifully toned and of great historical interest. Slightly rough and with a thin flan crack, otherwise, about extremely fine.




This unique piece is one of the great rarities of the Ramskold collection. Quite remarkably, the finely detailed female bust on the obverse lacks a diadem. The braid held in place with pins (today called crown braid or halo braid) is very similar to that found on the posthumous bronze coins struck for Helena and Theodora in 337-340 (see Ramskold, Constantine's SPES PVBLIC coins (2020), p. 319-321 for a discussion of this coiffure). Therefore, the woman cannot be Constantinopolis, but appears to belong to the imperial family, with features reminiscent of Helena. The coin is slightly larger than the silver medalettes from 330, with a pearl ring diameter of 10.8 mm (obverse) and 10.3 mm (reverse) compared to a stable 10.0 mm. In addition, the K is markedly larger than in any other example. All in all, it appears probable that this piece was struck later than 330, possibly in 337-340.