Coin, Zeno, Solidus
476-491 - Constantinople - MS(63) - Gold - RIC:910
Pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly to right, holding spear over right shoulder and shield decorated with horseman motif.
Victory standing facing, head to left, holding long jewelled cross; star in right field.
Splendid solidus of Zeno, in a state of conservation near mint state, on a particularly broad flan, leaving very well visible all the details and legends and having kept all its luster. Let us note only a very small scratch in the field on the obverse, on the left of the face of the emperor. Zeno is the Eastern Roman emperor who reigns at the time of the collapse of the Western part of the Empire. Caught in a conflict with his rival Basiliscus, who usurped his throne from January 475 to August 476, Zeno, who regained control of Constantinople after almost two years of exile and chaos, was not able to support the "Pars Occidentalis" against the barbarians. Refusing at first to endorse Odoacre, continuing to consider Julius Nepos as legitimate emperor although the latter is a refugee in Dalmatia, Zeno will be forced before the fait accompli to recognize him the title of Patrice of Italy at the death of Julius Nepos in 480. The coin we offer for sale is a beautiful testimony of this key period of history. This coin comes from the Mare Nostrum find (1954). This extraordinary find consisting of 426 solidi in an exceptional state of preservation was acquired without us knowing its precise provenance. Nevertheless, we can say that it is a maritime treasure, if we refer to the traces of marine concretions visible on several specimens that survived. The set, which includes mostly coins dating from the end of the Western Roman Empire, is a remarkable testimony of the monetary circulation in this troubled period. The present coin will be published in the book dedicated to this find, by I. Vecchi, R. Beale and S. Parkin (2022).
D N ZENO PERP AVG
VICTORIA AVGGG B / CONOB in exergue
4.38 gr
Gold
Although nowadays gold enjoys a reputation as the king of precious metals, that was not always the case. For example, in Ancient Greece, Corinthian bronze was widely considered to be superior. However, over the course of time, it has established itself as the prince of money, even though it frequently vies with silver for the top spot as the standard.
Nevertheless, there are other metals which appear to be even more precious than this duo, take for example rhodium and platinum. That is certain. Yet, if the ore is not as available, how can money be produced in sufficient quantities? It is therefore a matter of striking a subtle balance between rarity and availability.
But it gets better: gold is not only virtually unreactive, whatever the storage conditions (and trouser pockets are hardly the most precious of storage cases), but also malleable (coins and engravers appreciate that).
It thus represents the ideal mix for striking coins without delay – and we were not going to let it slip away!
The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which derives from its Latin name aurum. Its origins are probably extraterrestrial, effectively stardust released following a violent collision between two neutron stars. Not merely precious, but equally poetic…
The first gold coins were minted by the kings of Lydia, probably between the 8th and 6th century BC. Whereas nowadays the only gold coins minted are investment coins (bullion coins) or part of limited-edition series aimed at collectors, that was not always the case. And gold circulated extensively from hand to hand and from era to era, from the ancient gold deposits of the River Pactolus to the early years of the 20th century.
As a precious metal, in the same way as silver, gold is used for minting coins with intrinsic value, which is to say the value of which is constituted by the metal from which they are made. Even so, nowadays, the value to the collector frequently far exceeds that of the metal itself...
It should be noted that gold, which is naturally very malleable, is frequently supplemented with small amounts of other metals to render it harder.
The millesimal fineness (or alloy) of a coin indicates the exact proportion (in parts per thousand) of gold included in the composition. We thus speak, for example, of 999‰ gold or 999 parts of gold per 1 part of other metals. This measure is important for investment coins such as bullion. In France, it was expressed in carats until 1995.
An “MS(63)” quality
As in numismatics it is important that the state of conservation of an item be carefully evaluated before it is offered to a discerning collector with a keen eye.
This initially obscure acronym comprising two words describing the state of conservation is explained clearly here:
Mint State(63)
This means – more prosaically – that it is very unlikely that the coin has circulated, even among few and careful hands. Traces of any manipulations are practically imperceptible and no patina or other form of oxidation has altered the object’s brilliance.
