Solidus - Justinian I VICTORIA AVGGG, Constantinopolis

Justinian I came to power in 527 inheriting a treasury stabilized by his uncle Justin I, and immediately began financing what would become the most ambitious military reconquest in late Roman history — North Africa from the Vandals in 533, Italy from the Ostrogoths from 535 onward. The solidus was the instrument that paid for all of it: troops, generals, and allied foederati were compensated in gold, and Constantinople's mints ran accordingly hard during this window.

The Constantinople mint during this period operated under the comes sacrarum largitionum. Officina letters on the reverse allow individual workshop attribution within this date range.