A Rare Vespasian Variant

Sallent · Jun 20, 2016

vespasian70 said: ↑

Call me an obsessive, but I just had to have this minor variant.

View attachment 511627
Vespasian
AR Denarius
Ephesus Mint, 71 AD
RIC 1434 (R), BMC 459 var., RSC 293 var., RPC 835 (14 spec.) var.
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPAS AVG COS III TR P P P; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.
Rev: PACI ORB TERR AVG; Bust of woman, draped, wearing crown of towers, r.; EPHE in l. field

RIC, alone among the major references, assigns a separate catalogue number to this rare variant with the mint mark behind the reverse bust. It's much more common to find the mint mark below bust. This variant seems to have been struck at a ratio of 1:10 compared with the common variety.

Vespasian's Ephesian series could keep a Flavian collector busy for several lifetimes.

Feel free to post your Vespasians, minor variants, or Ephesian gems.
Click to expand...

Was this an official imperial denarius or a provincial since it was minted away from Rome.

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David Atherton · Jun 20, 2016

Sallent said: ↑

Was this an official imperial denarius or a provincial since it was minted away from Rome.
Click to expand...

It's an imperial issue, struck at a provincial mint. Early in Vespasian's reign there were quite a few of these mints scattered around the empire striking imperial coins. Slowly over time imperial issues were consolidated to Rome, so much so that by Domitian's reign Rome was the only imperial mint, it even struck coins for the provinces.

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A Rare Vespasian Variant

Sallent Live long and prosper

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A Rare Vespasian Variant

Sallent Live long and prosper

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