Sebastianus 412-413 AD. AR Siliqua, Arles. 1.56 gr, 

DN SEBASTIA-NVS PF AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right.
RESTITV-TOR ROM, Roma seated left on curule chair, holding
Victory on globe and inverted spear, back of throne visible.
Mintmark KON
Arles	RIC X 1721 Note (this coin): Jameson 402.
Extremely rare. 

Ex E.F. Weber collection (1909), ex R. Jameson, Band II, 402, 
and G. Mazzini collection, Band 5, 1.

In her article about the silver issues of Usurpers of the
5th century, in "Mélanges de numismatique offerts à P. Bastien, 
Wetteren 1987", p. 290f.) C.E. King doubted the 
authenticity of this siliqua. J.P.C. Kent ( in RIC X, page
354, notes to 1720/1721) agreed with her. However, these 
two scholars based their opinion purely on the style of
the engraving. (King: "The coin illustrated by Mazzini with 
the RESTITVTOR REIP (sic!) legend is the only specimen with 
this reverse and different in style from the usual product 
from Arles in this period". Neither had actually seen the 
coin in hand. A metallic analysis has shown that the coin
was neither cast, nor overstruck, the silver content and
especially the content of trace elements correspond to
a similarly analysed Siliqua from Arles of Constantinus III
(J.P.C. Kent, RIC X: Addenda and Corrigenda 3, NC 3/1997, 
p. 39), a fact that, together with its provencance of being
in the posession of Weber, long before he died in 1907, 
speaks in favour of this coin being utterly genuine.

Contributed by Dr. Hubert Lanz, auction November 2000, 
Added July 2011.