I purchased my latest coin because it has a minor variant I find pretty interesting. It goes without saying this variant is mostly unnoticed by dealers and collectors alike. I'm a sucker for numismatic minutiae. Titus AR Denarius, 3.35g Rome Mint 80 AD RIC 124c (C2), BMC 62, RSC 313a Obv: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P; Seat, draped; above, triangular frame with nine palmettes, lituus within triangle Acquired from M. Veissid & Co. (eBay), April 2017. A rare variant of this common 'pulvinaria' type showing a lituus within the triangle. Perhaps one in ten dies have this variant. The upcoming RIC II.1 Addenda notes that some specimens may show a lituus. This denarius was struck possibly to commemorate the religious ceremonies connected with the opening games of the Colosseum. Also of interest is the fantastic 'bull-necked' portrait. I have several other Titus denarii with a similar style of portrait (probably all from the same hand) and they are among my favourites. Fellow numismatic nerds, feel free to share any variant coins you may have.
That is an awfully neat little detail! In fact, it's so tiny I can't really tell if it's a lituus or Baby Groot . A Hadrian denarius with a rare bust variant unrecorded in RIC but known from one example in the Reka Devnia hoard. Hadrian is shown with the strap of a balteus, or sword belt, across his chest. HADRIAN AR Denarius. 3.23g, 20.9mm, Rome mint, AD 119-122. RIC 82 var. (bust type); BM 164 note. O: IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right, balteus (sword belt) strap over shoulder and across chest. R: P M TR P COS III, Concordia seated left, holding patera.
Salus draped standing left, feeding serpent, who is wrapped round an altar, out of patera with right hand and holding sceptre. (sometimes a spear) small figure in altar Vulcanus?
Not only does the OP Titus have a bull neck but he has quite a scowl on his face. It looks like he's trying to appear to be a tough guy. Another nice variety David.
I used to consider myself a fan of minutiae but now I reserve my admiration for things that I see even a slight chance were considered meaningful by the die cutter rather than a simple random variation. That doe not mean that I must understand what the meaning was but it prevents me from lavishing attention on a legend split or stray dot on an equal footing with a more obvious inclusion or omission. For example, I have quite a few coins of Septimius Severus from the Syrian mints with Fortuna seated. The chairs vary in the way legs were decorated but only one in my collection shows cross bracing. Most have two horizotal dashes instead. Should I value this coin more than others? I would if I knew why that diecutter decided that it was good to add this detail to that one die. I noticed that coin was different over 50 years ago but it still is just a question with no answer. Would I buy another if I saw one? Yes but I would not pay extra quite yet. I guess I;m not so much a minutiae fan after all.
Denarii of Julia Domna from Rome with Venus shown from the rear have three variations separated by the trailing end of drapery wrapped around her rear. Some show cloth hanging left, some right and a few show it on both sides. Be careful to separate the end of the palm from a right side drapery. Left only Right only Both I care about this one because I believe it means something. What??? I find it interesting that while rare on Roman denarii, both sides is the standard for coins from Eastern mints. Meaning? The Venus type was replaced by Vesta seated left. She is shown with and without drapery extending to the right of the chair. Related? Too many questions....
I'm quite taken with this style of portraiture on Titus' denarii. Some of his finest dies have it. As a matter of fact, the first Titus denarius I ever purchased almost 14 years ago has the same portrait style. Titus AR Denarius, 3.40g Rome Mint, 80 AD RIC 115 (C2), BMC 43, RSC 303 Obv: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P; Elephant, stg. l. Acquired from Old Roman Coins, May 2003.
Yup, my understanding is that it's pretty much the same thing, and the description generally used by cataloguers. From wiki: "During ancient Roman times the balteus (plural baltei) was a type of baldric commonly used to suspend a sword. It was a belt generally worn over the shoulder, passing obliquely down to the side, typically made of leather, often ornamented with precious stones, metals or both."
As far as minor variance, this is the one coin that would qualify. Unlike a hundred other Augustus denarii of the same type, this one has a tiny x on the reverse in combination with the shields overlapping the opposite way. From my understanding, it is a fairly uncommon variety. That being said, I doubt anyone would pay extra for this variety vs the far more common type.
On the reverse of this follis of Constantine there is a B in the left field. It is an R4. The reverse with the A in the left field is an R2. There is also a version with a Z in the left field but I am not sure of the rarity of that one. RIC VII Constantinople 38b
Mine has an Epsilon, also "r4", but there are so many varieties that, in total, there are 25 for sale on vcoins as I write. 20-19 mm. RIC Constantinople 29. CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE It has a pretty complicated reverse which has been explained several ways, from an allusion to the groves of Dafne near Antioch to a reference to a fort Dafne along the Danube. I don't know what this type means, but "DAFNE" is an unusual word on Roman coins.
Titus does seem to be rather scowly on quite a few coins. Must've been a rather stern chap. The only ones I've seen who appear even more grouchy are perhaps Galba and Nerva. Nerva seems to have been quite the sourpuss. As to variants, I guess I'm not really observant enough or good enough at attribution to know I have a variant, most of the time. I guess that comes more with experience. This denarius from my novice 2007-08 collection was the first Vespasian coin I ever owned. If I remember correctly, the seller (Steve McBride of Incitatus Coins) suggested it was a portrait from very early in the reign, just as the 69 AD civil war was ending, and was likely engraved before Vespasian arrived in Rome and anyone knew what he looked like. It is certainly different from most Vespasian portraits I'm accustomed to seeing. He looks pretty young and serene here: True or not, I found the "nobody knew what he looked like yet" theory interesting. By comparison, from my present collection (speaking of sourpuss portraits): (Of course he was dead by the time the second coin was struck, so he can be forgiven for not looking as good. Vespasian supposedly died cracking a joke, though, so maybe he wasn't such a grouch.)
To me, the early coinage of Vespasian at Rome is interesting because it is transitional in style. There are some portraits you look at and think 'that's the Vespasian we all know' and then there are others that look like guess work. I suppose it's down to the individual engraver, but keep in mind Vespasian didn't arrive in Rome until the autumn of 70, almost a year after Rome fell to his supporters. If you want a Vespasian portrait with hair, look to these early issues!
