VICTORIA AVGGG (2nd reign, 476 / 491, 1rst issue)

Buste de Zénon de face, cuirassé, portant casque avec crête et un diadième de perles. Tenant une lance passant derrière sa tête avec la main droite et un bouclier décoré d'un cavalier terrassant un ennemi, avec la main gauche.

Un ange debout à gauche, tenant une longue croix latine décorée de bijoux, derrière elle à droite, une étoile.

Coin illustrated in the RIC X, plante 30, n° 905. Source: Lacam plate CXLIX = 42, 102.

I do not know what prompted the authors of the RIC X to classify the coin n° 901 (without official mark), (AYC #2), in the 1st reign. No note explains this choice. The style is similar to n° 905 ... Perhaps there had been a find of this coin with other well dated coins. Or, as G. Lacam notes in his book: "La fin de l'empire romain et le monnayage d'or en Italie", Volume II, page 614; we support the thesis that the absence of a officina letter marks a first issue.

This coin seems (impossible to be 100% sure given the quality of the photo) to share the same obverse die as AYC # 3, RIC 905 and # 3 (b), RIC 905. The coins of this series all seem to share the same obverse die (AYC #3, 3 a and 3 b). Lacam believed that the coin had the Zeta officina, yet I agree with JPC Kent's opinion that it is an S. This Z would not be in the sense of the legend, which would not exclude that it is a Z because other coins from the following issues have officina letters Z (and others) in different positions. On the other hand, we will add that its shape is irregular and more rounded than a usual Z. The enlargement of the photo given by G. Lacam makes me see a kind of blow or depression under the officina ... I consider it possible that there was a correction of another officina letter or an error. For example AVGGGG whose last G would have been corrected. The metal would have been repelled at the level of the G (of form C). Then we would have added this vertical bar to give an S. Very uncertain theory but we can note, all the same, that this officina is of an exaggerated size compared to usual and gives the impression of having been created after the final result of origin. It must probably be a different letter than G because its rounded shape therefore did not require such retouching. It would simply have been necessary to add another rounding at the end to obtain an S. I add the AYC # 9 e mark corr, RIC 929 which shows a similar form of officina but of which I noted a remainder of anoher officina under the letter S. It can therefore also be a similar correction on this coin illustrated in Lacam.

On the reverse I noted ''Angel'' in the description. We can also say that this is Victoria but the image of the victory at that time had indeed become that of an angel symbolizing the Christian victory.