Another coin show coin that followed me home is this Titus with Capricorn reverse. Like most of my coins, it is worn more than will interest the high grade collectors but this one fell into the 'good enough for me' region. I suggest you just be careful not to pay an EF+ price for a F+ coin. Flavian denarii were of relatively good silver and wore more quickly than later coins with harder alloys. There are many no better than this being sold as rare (they are not). Left portraits are less common. Also common in worn grade is the Vespasian death commemorative with double capricorns. I've had this one for years but never owned the Titus before Friday's show.
That is a Titus I would be glad to have. Worn you say? It's more than good enough for me. My Capricorn Titus fouree
fantastic!! => great new Capricorn pick-up!! (I like both of your examples ... totally jealous) ... sadly and amazingly, I don't have a Capricorn example "yet" (*sigh*) I really must rectify that, eh?
Great Titus Doug. Struck the summer before Mount Vesuvius erupted (if you follow the new scholarly thinking it occurred in the autumn).
The types after the eruptions tend to honor gods who may be upset with Rome and do it again??? I don't have the Titus examples but Domitian used them, too. Neptune Minerva This last one is NOT fourree. The copper is on top of the silverand can be scraped away revealing silver below (see spot on reverse edge at 4 o'clock). I suspect the coin was hoarded with copper coins which transferred some metal.
Excellent denarii, very much my types... I don't have Titus (yes, he is a target), but I do have his Dad...
Nathan T Elkins has proposed these 'pulvinaria' types possibly commemorate the ceremonies of the opening games of the Flavian Amphitheatre in 80 AD, the year the coins were struck. The new Flavian RIC leans in that direction as well. So once again the winds of scholarly opinion blow in another direction. BTW, great Dolphin and anchor Domitian!
Very nice Doug. Here the only Denarius I have of Titus 3.002g, 18.2mm, 180o, Rome mint, as Caesar, 71 - 72 A.D.; obverse T CAES IMP VESP PON TR POT, laureate head right; reverse NEP RED, Neptune standing left, foot on globe, acrostolium in right and scepter in left. RIC II Vesp 155, Cohen 121, RIC 366
No silver for me unfortunately. I do have a sestertius that I like. The best thing that can be said for the dupondius is that it makes a nice jigsaw.
