Owner Comments:
It may not look like much, but this ancient bronze coin has it where it counts. On the reverse, several barely discernable letters form a monogram associated with the co-reign of Eastern Roman Emperors Basiliscus and his son Marcus (died 477 AD).
Marcus is one of the least known dynasts of the House of Leo. In 475 AD, Marcus’ father, Basiliscus, managed to usurp Constantinople’s throne from Emperor Leo’s successor, Zeno. The rebellion took advantage of the Augustus’ absence; Zeno was lured away from his capital by the machinations of Leo’s widow, Empress Aelia Verina. Although Verina intended someone else as next Emperor, it was her brother Basiliscus who took advantage of the situation and grabbed the purple.
Aside from imperial genealogy, we know little else regarding Marcus’ life. His father Basiliscus, keen to solidify his position, wasted hardly any time in elevating Marcus to Caesar, then co-Augustus. In advertisement, the new leadership team struck coins, including this ancient nummus. Although the attribution is discernable, the mintmark is not. Likely, the coin’s origin is one of only a few mints, perhaps Constantinople, Cyzicus, or Nicomedia.
Ancient coins representing Marcus and Basiliscus are extremely scarce, reflecting the ephemerality of their reign. By summer of 476 AD, Constantinople’s civilian and military populations grew disaffected with the father-and-son imperial team. Meanwhile, the exiled Zeno garnered enough political and military support to make an imperial comeback. Not only did Zeno arrive at the Empire’s capital with a large force unopposed, the Senate practically opened the city gates and pushed their former Emperor back on the throne. Basiliscus and Marcus soon surrendered, stepped down from power, and took their turn at banishment. They were expelled to Cappadocia with the promise that their blood would not be spilled. Technically, the bargain was upheld; they were starved to death.
Coin Details: EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE, Uncertain mint, Basiliscus and Marcus, AD 475-476, Æ Nummus (10 mm, 1.27 g, 2h), NGC Grade: F, Strike: 3/5, Surface: 3/5, Obverse: Diademed bust right (unrecognizable), DN bASIL ET MAR P AV (unrecognizable), Reverse: Monogram of Basiliscus and Marcus, Mintmark (unrecognizable), References: RIC X 1034 (Cyzicus); cf. LRBC 2283; cf. MIRB 16 (as Basiliscus).