Solidus - Leo II and Zeno SALVS REI PVBLICAE; Constantinopolis

Reverse

Leo II (on left) and Zeno (on right) seated facing on double throne, both nimbate, diademed and wearing imperial mantle, mappa in right hands; star above cross above, mintmark in exergue.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
SALVS REI - PVBLICAE
CONOB

Comment

During his long, tumultuous reign, Leo I "The Great" relied on a Romanized Isaurian chieftain, Zeno, to do much of the reign's heavy lifting and dirty work. To cement the relationship, he married his daughter Ariadne to Zeno; about AD 467 she bore him a son who was named Leo after his grandfather. When Leo I died on 18 January AD 474, the child ascended to the Eastern Roman Throne as Leo II, but it soon became clear he needed a protector and the Byzantine Senate named his father Zeno as co-Augustus on February 9. The child fell ill toward the end of the year and died in November, leaving the unpopular Zeno as sole ruler. Rumors flourished that Zeno had poisoned his own son, but this seems as unlikely as it was unnecessary.

The very rare gold coinage of the brief joint reign depicts an armored figure on the obverse, presumably Zeno, while the reverse depicts the two rulers seated in a double throne. Interestingly, the smaller of the two figures, Leo II, is seated to the left, in the "senior" position.

Interesting fact

Price

Date	Mintage	VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
ND (474) CONOB		-	-	-	-	-	-

Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for Solidus - Leo II and Zeno (SALVS REI PVBLICAE; Constantinopolis) (474) coin.