Though not in
Cohen or RIC, specimens of this coin have been emerging in recent years: the first published in 1977, one in BM, one in the current
Berk catalogue 142, lot 345, and now these two. See commentary to
Berk coin below, which I wrote in ignorance of the
Wildwinds specimen, which is incidentally from a new
officina, delta or A rather than E.
The very
rare earliest issue of Procopius' bronze coinage, not only continuing Valentinian's
reduced weight standard and copying
his right-facing
portrait, but also taking over Valentinian's
reverse legend SECVRITAS REIPVB, combined with Procopius' normal
type of emperor standing. Only two specimens of this coin seem to have been recorded until now: that published by W.
Weiser in
Money trend 1977, pp. 8-12, which was later sold in Schulten Sale, October 1984, 771; and a second in BM mentioned by
Weiser. Our specimen may be the third recorded. Very soon,
Procopius introduced
his own
reverse legend, REPARATIO
FEL TEMP, to replace that of Valentinian; soon after that, he reintoduced Julian II's heavier
standard for bronze coins and changed the direction of
his obverse portrait from right to left. Most of Procopius' surviving bronze coins belong to this large last issue, on Julian II's
standard and with
portrait facing left
