A Vespasian As From an Old 'South German Collection'

I was quite happy when this Vespasian as struck at Lyon arrived in the mail last week.


Vespasian
Æ As, 9.42g
Lyon mint, 77-78 AD
RIC 1235 (C). BMC 846 var.
Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS VIII P P; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.; globe at point of bust
Rev: PROVIDENT in exergue; S C in field; Garlanded Altar
Acquired from Kölner, June 2019.

Late in Vespasian's reign the mint at Lyon (ancient Lugdunum) struck a fairly large issue of bronze at a time when the mint at Rome was winding down its own bronze production. Presumably this late issue was produced to address a shortage of bronze coinage in the Western provinces. Many of the types were recycled from earlier issues from both Rome and Lyon. The common PROVIDENT altar type was sometimes struck at Lyon with a decorative garland, as seen on this example. Although this variant is not rare, surprisingly it is missing from the BM collection. Although the type is commonly described as an altar, Marvin Tameanko convincingly argued it is actually a sacellum, or small shrine. Originally, Tiberius struck the Provident altar type for Divus Augustus. It was later revived during the recent Civil War and was struck by both Galba and Vitellius.

Provenanced to an old 'South German collection from the 1920s to the 1950s', it came with the original envelope.



Feel free to post your coins with old envelopes or tickets!

 

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Nice pickup, I like the portrait.

 

Here is one:

GORDIAN III
AR Antoninianus
OBVERSE: IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: CONCORDIA AVG - Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopia
Struck at Rome, 239-240 AD (3rd Issue, 3rd Officina)
3.47g, 22mm
RIC IViii, 35, page 19 - Cohen
50

 

Great coin, David. The provenance items are always interesting. I don't have many coins with old tags or notes attached. I do have this one.

 

Amazing what you can buy for the price of a modest dinner at a nice restaurant.

 

This Dupondius came with an old French collector's tag:




And this one came with a Stoecklin tag:

 

Nice pickup, @David Atherton !


RR Victoriatus 206-195 BCE AR 16-5mm 2-61g Jupiter r Victory crowning trophy sow r in ex ROMA Syd 253 Russo RBW 554 Cr 121-1

Many of mine have the old tags and envelopes. Here is one I got too lazy to take a coin shot alone.

 

I have two coins with provenance dating back to the same collector in the 1970s, the so-called "SC collection."

 

This is probably my oldest tag,