CONCORDIA AVGG (397 / 402)

Bust of Theodosius II facing, cuirassed, wearing a helmet with crest and a pearl diadem. Holding a spear passing behind his head with the right hand and a decorated shield with a horseman slaying an enemy, with the left hand.

Constantinopolis seated on a throne with her head to the right, holding a scepter with her right hand and a globe surmounted by a victory with her left hand. Her right foot placed on a prow.

Coin listed in Tanini page 308: ''Mulier sedens, d. hastam, s globum cun victoriola, pede dextro prorae navis imposito ; in exergo CONOB. Solidus''. This describes a seated woman with a spear on the right, globe on which rests a victory on the left. The right foot placed on a ship's prow. The star is not mentioned but it may be an oversight, the description reversing the position of the held objects is normal because it describes the point of view of Constantinople and not ours. This coin is therefore to be confirmed. The book ''Catalogus Numismaticus Musei Lefroyani (1763)'', describe a similar coin without star and with mark Z but this time the prow is not mentionned in the description: ''Roma sedens galeata in sella, dextra hastam, sinistra globum cum victoria, in ima parte CONOB''. Same remark as for the Tanini concerning the inversion of held objects. If we have only one coin known coin showing this reverse without star with the mark S but whose officina has been modified to letter G (AYC #7 a Tr off, RIC 9), there is indeed a coin with the mark Z, it is the AYC #7 a, RIC 9. The photos are an illustration that I created from the solidus of Theodosius II (illustrating the AYC #7 b), sold the 25/06/2014 by Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 329, lot 578, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3308829, link to their website: https://www.cngcoins.com/.

This series is characterized by a small bust. As for Zeno, we notice a finer portrait of the first years (397 / 402), while the portraits of the following series will become wider and Theodosius II will look more to the right even if mixtures exist from 402.