DN MARCIANVS PF AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right / Monogram 2b: cross above, within wreath. Mintmark CON. 11mm, 1.02 grams. Constantinople mint. RIC X 543; Sear 21395.

Marcian (r. 450–457 CE) was an emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire who ruled during a period of recovery after the death of Theodosius II. His reign is best known for restoring fiscal stability, refusing to pay tribute to the Huns under Attila the Hun, and convening the influential Council of Chalcedon in 451, which shaped early Christian doctrine. Marcian’s relatively peaceful and effective rule marked a temporary strengthening of the Eastern Empire while the Western Roman Empire continued to decline.