Semissis - Galla Placidia SALVS REI PVBLICAE, Ravenna

Galla Placidia governed the Western Empire as regent for her son Valentinian III from 425, holding real power through a court at Ravenna that was simultaneously under military pressure from the Visigoths to the west and Attila's Huns to the northeast. The SALVS REI PVBLICAE reverse type — invoking the salvation of the state — had been in continuous use since the late fourth century, but its appearance on gold fractions under a female regency carries an uncomfortable irony: the state it advertised as saved was losing province after province.

RIC X 2054 is attributed specifically to the Ravenna mint. Semisses of this period survive in far smaller numbers than contemporary solidi, partly a function of original production volume.