Crowned facing busts of Constantine V and Leo IV, both wearing chlamys, set on exergual line; cross above; NKA in exergue / Crowned facing bust of Leo III, wearing loros, holding cross potent and globus cruciger, set on exergual line; X (?). 16mm, 1.49 grams. Syracuse mint. DOC 20 corr. (obv. legend); Anastasi 439; SB 1569A corr. (same)

Anonymous variety. Very rare, excellent condition for this type.

Constantine V (718–775), often called Constantine V Copronymus, was a Byzantine emperor of the Isaurian dynasty and the son of Leo III the Isaurian. He ruled the Byzantine Empire from 741 to 775 and spent much of his reign defending the empire against external threats, particularly the Bulgars in the Balkans and the Umayyad Caliphate and later the Abbasid Caliphate in the east. Constantine was a strong supporter of Iconoclasm, the imperial policy opposing the veneration of religious images, and he convened the Council of Hieria in 754 to reinforce this stance. His controversial nickname “Copronymus” comes from the Greek kopronymos, meaning (mildly translated) “the fecal one” - a hostile epithet reportedly given by iconophile opponents who claimed that he defiled the baptismal font as an infant; the story was likely propaganda spread by those who opposed his iconoclastic policies. Despite his negative reputation in later religious sources, Constantine V was an energetic military leader and administrator who strengthened the empire’s defenses and achieved several successes against its enemies.