Solidus - Theodosius II IMP•XXXXII•COS•, Constantinopolis

The IMP•XXXXII•COS• reverse type dates this solidus to the period when Theodosius II held his 42nd imperatorial acclamation, a stretch of his remarkably long reign — over four decades as Augustus — during which the eastern court was simultaneously paying massive tribute to Attila and scrambling to fortify Constantinople with the Theodosian Walls. The mint of Constantinople was producing solidi at high volume to fund both diplomacy and defense, with treaty payments to the Hunnic confederation alone reaching 2,100 pounds of gold annually by the 440s.