Ancient Rome - AD 337-361 Constantius II AR Siliqua NGC AU Ex. Harptree Hoard

Constantius II (AD 337-361) AR Siliqua, Arles Mint, 1st Officina, 2.03g. Obverse: DN CONSTAN-TIVS AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust facing to the right. Reverse:  VOTIS/XXX/ MVLTIS/XXXX, within a laurel wreath, PCON is in exergue. (RIC 291; RSC 342-3r). 

This silver siliqui is an interesting, well struck early example of the coinage of the Western Empire and hails from the East Harptree Hoard, discovered in 1887 on the land of Mr. W. Kettlewell of Harptree Court.

Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset, England, where the famed hoard was found in 1887. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

After study by the British Museum, the coins were returned to Mr. Kettlewell, and made their way down through his family, eventually landing in the numismatic community, where they have been studied and enjoyed since. The overall quality of the hoard was extraordinary. The coins are in the original condition as they were as when returned to the family by the British Museum in 1888, where they were studied and written about for the Numismatic Chronicle by curator John Evans. 

Deposited at a depth of about 6' in the late 370's A.D.,  the hoard comprised 1,496 coins in all, dating from the 330's to the late 370's A.D. and provides a fascinating glimpse into a window of time in British antiquity during the 4th Century A.D.