VICTORIA AVGGG (2nd reign, 476 / 491, 5th issue)
Bust of Zeno facing, cuirassed, wearing 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.
An angel standing left, holding a long latin cross decorated with jewels. Behind her on the right, a star.
Marks
One coin sold the 28/09/2006 by Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 117, lot 5088, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=325938.
Variant with jewels on the diadem, the officina letter inclined as well as the mark CONOR. I note that the officina letter S, is seen in different orientations. On all the legend breaks, variants of jewels. Letter inclined, inclined and inverted, in upright position.. The RIC X referenced the officina letter S and , I think it was the letter S in the correct sense and following the same sense as the rest of the legend, indicating its retrograde version. Likewise, I note these variations of orientation of the letter S and add the variation in upright position. This little detail perhaps indicating a particular series.
The marks CONOR are classified as AYC #10. Here are the different variants:
- #10: CONOR mark not corrected. Examples: AYC #10 f, indicating that it is the CONOR mark associated with the seventh known officina: Z (without officina or first officina: no letter, second officina: a .. etc.). #10 (1) with legend break on the reverse.
- ''mark corr'' in the reference indicates that the mark has been corrected. When the letter R of CONOR has a thin line which has been added to form a letter B.
Read this article about CONOR marks: https://www.all-your-coins.com/en/blog/antique/romaines/analyse-de-la-marque-conor. I also assigned the same RIC numbers as for AYC #9, the RIC not having noted these marks CONOR.
The coins of the fifth issue are recognizable by style. The face is wider with a long and wide nose. Zeno looking more slightly to the right.
On the reverse, I noted ''Angel'' in the description, we can also say that it is about the Victory, but the image of the victory at that time had indeed become that of an angel symbolizing the Christian victory.