Zeno, 2nd Reign, AD 476-491, Constantinople Mint, 1st Officina. AV Solidus: 21 mm, 4.49 gm, 6 h. Obverse: Pearl diademed emperor with feather plumed helmet, cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear over shoulder & shield decorated with horseman spearing a fallen enemy. D N ZENO PERP AVG. Reverse: Victory standing left holding a long-jeweled cross, star in right field. VICTORI A A**GGGA, in exergue CONOB. RIC X 910 & 929. Ex CNG 489, lot 584. CNG states in their description "Overstruck on an uncertain under type.", however, the under type is clearly identifiable if you rotate the reverse image 90 degrees CCW, as seen in the photo below. The closeup reverse image from 11:00- 1:00 o'clock reveals traces of the helmet feathers & letters PER. Another closeup view from 7:00- 5:00 o'clock reveals the bottom of the cuirass & shield. The coin is a flip-over double strike, not unlike errors seen on modern manufactured coins, but very rare on late Roman gold coins . Double strikes & over strikes on late Roman & Byzantine copper coins are fairly common. Pictured below for comparison is another well struck solidus of Zeno, once thought to be an Ostrogothic copy but now considered a product of the Constantinople Mint.
Fascinating. Here’s another Zeno solidus where the CONOR in the exergue appears reworked to CONOB. The poor fallen warrior on the obverse shield appears to be getting the spear right in the face. I think the alteration in the exergue’s inscription supports the attribution of these solidi to Constantinople . Plus, Ouch!
Hrefn, That's a great looking solidus of Zeno ! You're right, that poor fallen enemy is taking the spear in the head , just like the zombies on the "Walking Dead" show . I've seen many solidi of Zeno with the R converted into a B, & I've never seen an expert explanation for this ....
