The eagle has landed

I love to show you this coin with a mean looking eagle
It's a denarius of Vespasianus.

I am curious to see if there are meaner types than this one



Vespasian, denarius.
Rome mint, struck 76 AD.
RIC II 847, RSC 121.
19 mm, 3.37 g
Obv. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right
Rev. COS VII across field, eagle with (long) wings spread, standing front on cippus decorated with garland, head turned left.

The eagle (aquila) was the symbol of the mighty Roman Empire and his emperors as well as a mythological symbol representing the Roman god Jupiter and the Greek god Zeus. There is another type with the eagle facing right. Some say the eagle facing left is looking back at all the glorious achievement of the emperor from the past while facing right means looking at the future, the emperor's promises.

 

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Love the details of that eagle. Looks like a screaming "I'm gonna eat you" eagle ... or the "glorious achievement of the emperor from the past"

 

That's a great coin, congrats. Love the eagle and portrait.

 

That is certainly an angry eagle.
But Vespasian has the begining of a nice smile

Q

 

Maybe this Akragas bronze eagle pair is not not angrier but certainly they are hungrier. The Roman version appears to be drying its feathers so maybe it is upset about getting caught in the rain???

 

The smile, ah, that wicked grin, unique among the emperors.

 

What a great eagle! He's definitely screaming at Vespasian, who looks smugly satisfied.

 

Nice example!

 

Eagle


Makedon Amyntas III 393-369 BC Herakles lion skin Eagle Serpent SNG ANS 100ff
Father of Philip II, Grandfather of Alexander III

 

Eagle. Elagabalus - AR Tetradrachm of Antioch...

 

Here's a snazzy-looking eagle on a billion tetradrachm from Alexandria (issued under Claudius II Gothicus):

 

I picked this one up cause the eagle looks like a parrot! Either way, he is in full on ATTACK mode!!

PHRYGIA, Apameia. Circa
100-50 BCE. Æ 22mm (6.53
g, 12h). Antiphon, son of
Menekleos, magistrate.
Helmeted bust of Athena
right / Eagle flying slightly
right; stars around; below,
maeander pattern with piloi
of the Dioskouroi to left and
right; in exergue,
ANTIΦΩN/[MENEKΛEOΣ] in
two lines. SNG Copenhagen
164. VF, sandy brown patina
Samothrace

 

You can never go wrong with depicting eagles on coins, thats why most Countries have this majestic bird as their symbol.

 

Here is mine from...Koson
Scythia/ Thrace
King Kotison?
Olbia Mint
Struck circa 50-40BC
Three Lictors
Eagle with wreath

 

I got a similar one. Pretty like the eagle design, especially since it was struck during Tiberius time and under Rome mint. It is just a little mean looking.

 

Nice eagles! Here's some of mine

 

Here is one from Transylvania (I love coins from there) This Eagle looks more like a "chicken"

 

I won't bother with RIC numbers with all these. I'll let you determine whether or not they are 'meaner' looking.







Notice the lack of a thunderbolt in the eagle's claws on some of them. After extensive discussion with Ted Buttrey concerning the difference, he amended the type's description in the Addenda: 'Eagle head r. (or l.) standing on thunderbolt, on Altar. Very uncommon with thunderbolt showing'.

 

Some eagles in my collection. The eagles on the tets are the meanest looking:

Titus:


A couple of little provincial bronzes of Septimius Severus and Julia Domna:




A couple of Alexandrian tets of Salonina, year 14 and 15:

 

Even Julia Domna has eagle on coin reverse... I was always thinking eagle reverse is related to some sort of military campaigns. Maybe my original thinking is incorrect.