I was really excited to receive this unpublished Vespasian denarius yesterday (although a fellow CTer beat me to it). Vespasian AR Denarius, 2.54g Ephesus mint, 71 AD RIC 1425 var., BMC - , RSC - , RPC - Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPAS AVG COS III TR P P P; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: PACI AVGVSTAE; Victory adv. l., with wreath and palm; at lower l., BY Ex Savoca Coins, eBay, October 2017. An unpublished Victory adv. left for Vespasian's Ephesian Group 5 denarii. A unique specimen with Victory adv. right is cited in RIC II.1 (RIC 1425) for the group. A second Victory left specimen, a double die match with mine, has been noted in @dougsmit's collection. With the appearance of these two coins both Victory types can now be attested for Group 5. Tentatively the type will be considered a variant of RIC 1425 until it is officially assigned a place in the upcoming Addenda. It should be noted that COS III denarii are seen much more commonly with the EPHE mintmark where both Victory types are already attested. Generally speaking, denarii dated COS III with the BY mintmark are so rare that Mattingly in BMCRE II doubted many of the standard Ephesian types existed for the group. However, he did note a COS III Victory left with an unclear mintmark, citing Cohen 279 (BMC II p. 94, note). Share your unpublished gems!
A really nice catch David. Had I seen it I would have definitely been interested. I really like the portrait. I have one coin of Domitian that is an unpublished (so far) variant. The first coin is a published coin and the second is the unpublished variant. The second coin has a Lituus beneath the triangular frame, while the published variety does not. Both coins are considered rare. Domitian. AR denarius (18.15 mm, 3.36 g, 7 h). Rome mint, struck A.D. 81. Obv: IMP CAESAR DOMITIANVS AVG, laureate head right Rev: TR P COS VII, draped throne, back decorated with grain ears. RIC 3; BMCRE 2; RSC 554a. Ex: William Rosenblum Coins Ex:Agora Auctions March 22, 2016 lot 52-174 Purchased from Agora Auctions March 22, 2016. Domitian. AR denarius (16.88 mm 3.02 g,). Rome mint, struck A.D. 81. Obv: IMP CAESAR DOMITIANVS AVG, laureate head right Rev: TR P COS VII, draped throne, back decorated with grain ears Lituus beneath the frame. RIC 3 Var; RSC 554a Var Ex: Akropolis Ancient Coins
No. I won it in an eBay auction. Of course it helped that the coin was not advertised as unpublished!
I really do think the lituus variant is deserving of its own RIC number, considering the Titus equivalent has one.
I like it! I've won a few gems from them and agree they are often wrong with attribution, but that makes it fun for me. Zeno(second reign) 477 to 491 AD Mint: ? AE 3 Obvs: DN ZE[ ] PE Λ, Helmeted, draped and cuirassed right. Revs: No inscription, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and dragging captive. Chi-Rho to l 13mm, 1.0g Ref: v. RIC X 952a Possibly unpublished
Forgive me for posting this coin which is no longer unpublished after your post above. It has been with me since 1994. I have the seller recorded as 'Palladium' but I can't remember the dealer or the circumstances (list, show???). Are you sure they are a die match?
I was watching it and forgot to bid! Glad you got it. Since getting RIC II it has upped my game! A must have for anyone seeking rarities!
Yes, although my coin has a bit more die wear. It would be amazing if they were unpublished and from two different pairs of dies!
