SALVS REIPVBLICAE (18 january / 17 november 474)

Bust of Leo I 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.

Leo II on the left and Zeno on his right, both seated on throne. Leo II resting his feet on a step. A latin cross placed between their two heads. A star placed between REI and PVBLICAE.

Photo of a coin sold the 06/05/2019 by Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 114, lot 950, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5993783, link to their website: https://www.arsclassicacoins.com/.

Variant with step under the feet of Leo II. This is the most scarce variant. More than three out of four coins are without step. However many copies leave perplexed. Indeed, there are two vertical lines around the feet of the emperor. So that one wonders if the step is not simply badly represented. Here is an example showing this particularity:

Photo of a coin sold the 19/05/2021 by Classical Numismatic Group, Auction 117, lot 636, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=8127811, link to their website: https://www.cngcoins.com/.

This strike without letter C and officina letter is the most common. In the sales of the last 20 years I have listed around forty copies sold, while all the other strike with an officina letter have only 32 copies.

On the obverse I noted ''Bust of Leo I'' because it is obvious that it is not a portrait of Leo II who is a child.