SALVS REIPVBLICAE (February 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 standing and facing, nimbate, diademed and standing on a step. Holding cruciger globe with right hand. A star to his right.

Coin illustrated in the RIC X, plate 27, n°802. Sources: archeological museum of Istanbul, Paris Bibliothèque Nationale de France, museo civico of Pavia.

This coin with the legend SALVS REIPVBLICAE C and the emperor on the reverse is standing without step. The AYC #1, RIC 801 has the legend SALVS REIRVBLICAE C with step. 

Various authors do not agree on this coinage. Gierson, Mays, Kent... Analyzing the problematic of the letter C on the reverse.. CAESAR? The proposals are diverse: the character on the reverse is Patricius, son of Aspar... Leo II... If the character is Leo II then on what date was the coin struck? October 473 to January 474 where Leo I is Augustus and Leo II Caesar? January and February 474 where the two emperors are co-Augusti? Or very shortly after this date when Leo II is Augustus alone? So here is my analysis: It is obvious that the character on the obverse is Leo I. The portrait is aged and the legend has AVG. Only on the reverse we see a young man and the letter C seems to me to indicate CAESAR. I therefore retain two possibilities: the coinage is struck when Leo I is Augustus and Leo II Caesar. Or when Leo II is Augustus alone. By retaining the last possibility the letter C is illogical and we should consider that the obverse represents by default the face of Leo I which is itself very strongly similar to that used for Basiliscus and Zeno afterwards. I also note that the portrait seems to have been made by an engraver who produced dies for Zeno, whose style is very similar. RIC 636 to 638 depict Leo I and II seated together with the legend SALVS REIRVBLICAE C. The character on the left is adult and seated in a place of honor, it is undoubtedly Leo I. The one on the right is Leo II. This series therefore seems to be the clear representation of the period when Leo I is Augustus and Leo II Caesar. According to me, we can imagine that the coinage with the emperor alone on the reverse is the continuation of the coinage with the two seated emperors and comes just before the coinage with the legend D N LEO ET ZENO PP AVG. The emperor on the left is the small form now, indicating that it is Leo II. Only I note that at this date Zeno is co-emperor... He is therefore Augustus. Yet the RIC 803 has the legend SALVS REIPVBLICAE C! The anachronism of this letter is therefore clear! The great rarity of this coinage indicates that the striking was very short. The fact that the character is alone on the reverse would put us on the track of the period when Leo II is alone Augustus, but the letter C which came to dismantle the argument is to be excluded given, as I said, its presence on the coinage in the name of Leo II and Zeno. The portrait on the obverse poses no problem because in any case we could not have represented a child's face. It is therefore perhaps a posthumous coinage representing Leo I leaving only emperor Leo II certainly elevated to the title of Augustus but still being in the spirit of the empire only a Caesar. We also see how quickly Zeno had to be associated with power as Leo II was too young. I totally rule out the possibility of seeing Patricius on the reverse. This coin would be inserted in the middle of the coinage of Leo I and add a new type which would have been only struck in very little quantity... This seems very unlikely to me especially since on this date he is already married and therefore his representation would be more adult. I then propose the date of February 474 in the light of all that I have just explained. Date that we can possibly extend to October 473 but then the representation of a single emperor is doubtful.

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.