My latest purchase is a neat Vespasian sestertius that has not one, but two deities on the reverse! Vespasian Æ Sestertius, 25.70g Rome mint, 71 AD Obv: IMP CAES VESPAS AVG P M TR P P P COS III; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: HONOS ET VIRTVS; S C in exergue; Honos stg. r. with sceptre and cornucopiae, and Virtus stg. l. with spear and parazonium RIC 232 (R). BMC 530. BNC 484. Acquired from Den of Antiquity, October 2020. Struck during Vespasian's massive bronze issue of 71, this HONOS ET VIRTVS reverse type copies one struck earlier by Galba. The occasion for resurrecting it may have been prompted by Vespasian's restoration of the temple of Honos and Virtus recently damaged during Nero's great fire. Very rare, only two reverse dies for the type were recorded by C. Kraay. Post your 'two for ones'!
Very nice Sestertius, David. Good details on the large-size coin. My "two for one" is just an AE as, having both Venus and Mars on the reverse. Faustina Junior (AD 147-175/6). AE as (26mm, 9.40 g) Rome. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust of Faustina Junior right Rev: VENERI VECTRICI, Venus, half-nude, standing right, with both hands holding the right arm of Mars, standing front, head to left, holding shield with his left arm, parazonium below; S-C across fields. RIC III 1680.
Very neat, @David Atherton ! I like that reverse type! Lovely! I am still looking for a nice example of this coin. Every time I see this reverse type, it reminds me of:
Thanks for all the kind comments and for posting your 'two for ones'! Normally, I would go into more detail about the coin type, but yesterday was fairly hectic here at Flavian Fanatic Headquarters. I hope the concise write-up did this important coin justice. Definitely a coin type appropriate for Election Day!
David, A decent specimen of this rare coin! Looks like no. 235 (A169/P220) in Kraay's unpublished die catalogue, known to him from specimens in Paris (Giard 488, pl. XLIV) and Vienna. Kraay knew no combinations of this same obv. die with other rev. dies. A slight correction of the last sentence in your description: "Very rare, only two reverse dies for the type in combination with this obverse legend were recorded by C. Kraay." The die figures cited by Carradice and Buttrey are for rev. not obv. dies; and Kraay knew of a couple of other HONOS ET VIRTVS sest. rev. dies of Vespasian in 71 coupled with VESPASIANVS rather than VESPAS obv. dies, RIC 78-79 and note 28.
