When You Buy a Coin Because of the Portrait

Some of the finest coin portraits of Vespasian are found on his sestertii. The Rome and Lugdunum mints had been firing on all cylinders from Nero right through the Year of the Four Emperors producing some very fine portraits, apparently untroubled by the turmoil of civil war. Once the dust had settled with Vespasian on the throne, both mints continued their high artistic craftsmanship. The larger flans of the bronze coinage were sympathetic canvases for the engravers. My latest coin is a good example of what the Rome and Lugdunum mints were capable of early in Vespasian's reign.



Vespasian
Æ Sestertius, 25.22g
Rome mint, 71 AD
RIC 190 (C3). BMC 560.
Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.
Rev: ROMA; S C in field; Roma stg. l., with Victory and spear
Ex Pegasi 39, 13 November 2018, lot 467. Ex Bonhams, 11 June 2018, group lot 3. Ex Superior 2-3 June 1998, The J. B. Parker Collection, lot 7023.

In 71 AD the Rome and Lugdunum mints struck a massive iconic issue of aes coinage for Vespasian, setting the tone for the bronze coinage for the remainder of the reign. One of the commonest sestertius types struck for the issue was Roma holding Victory. Roma is depicted in the guise of an Amazon warrior, a typical attribute for her on the coinage during the Flavian era.

I love this portrait showcasing a powerfully bold Vespasian. He looks like he means business!

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Not only the portrait, the reverse is of great artistry too. Well done David

Finding a realistic or lifelike portrait of a an emperor after the late third century is unlikely. I've always been fond of that one portrait of an aged Diocletian from the Alexandria mint :


Diocletian, Follis Alexandria mint, 2nd officina, c. AD 304-305
IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG, Laureate bust of Diocletianus right
IOVI CONS CAES, Jupiter standing left, holding victory and spear. B in right field S | P in lower field, ALE at exergue
11.21 gr
Ref : Cohen # 173, RCV # 12805 (180), RIC VI # 41

Q

 

The reverse is very appealing too!

Lucilla looks like a doll on this coin:

Lucilla
Empress CE 163-169, wife of Lucius Verus
AR denarius, 19 mm, 3.25 gm
Obv: LVCILLA AVGVSTA; draped bust right
Rev: PVDICITIA; Pudicitia, veiled, standing left, with right hand preparing to draw a veil across her face (or had she just drawn the veil off her face?), left hand at side
Ref: RIC III 780

Trajan's distinctive brow ridge:


Trajan
Rome mint, CE 114-115
AR denarius, 18 mm, 3.7 gm
Obv: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC. Laureate and draped bust right
Rev: P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R. Trajan’s column surmounted by statue of Trajan, holding patera and scepter; two eagles at base
Ref: RIC II 35
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/last-coin-of-2014-trajans-column-denarius.257275/

Portraits generally aren't the main draw for provincial coins but the following coins have rather nice portraits:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Severus Alexander
year 12, CE 232/3
tetradrachm, 23 mm, 13.87 gm
Obv: AKAIMAAVPCEVAΛEΞANΔPOCEV; Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Alexandria standing facing, head left, holding vexillum and grain ears; palm frond to left, L IB (date) to right
Ref: Emmett 3088.12 (R4); Köln 2474 var. (obv. legend); Dattari (Savio) 4264; K&G 62.172 var. (same)


EGYPT, Alexandria. Gallienus
year 13, CE 265/6
tetradrachm, 21 mm, 9.1 gm
Obv: Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: AVTKΠΛIKΓAΛΛIHNOCCEB; eagle standing right, holding wreath in beak, palm over shoulder; L IΓ across field
Ref: Emmett 3806(13), R1
Ex Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 88.203 (accessioned 1888); Benjamin Pierce Cheney Collection

 

I have always been fond of this one die from a sestertius of Caracalla.


This Domna was from roughly the same time and may have been the same artist. I do wish I could find this die in a higher grade. In each case there are other dies I find much less pleasing in style.

 

I'm curious about this phrase. I assume the Amazon river and basin were named after these warriors and not vice versa. Was there a real Amazon tribe--and if so, where did they live--or were they just mythological?

 

Unfortunately(?) mythological.



https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/axe-wielding-amazons/

 

I like the reverse more than the obverse, still a nice addition to your bronze set.

 

A happy Maxentius fresh from the barber shop, fated to drown in the Tiber.

 

A couple of my favorite portraits...


RIC vol VII Aquileia 106 R1
322 AD
Obv: CRISPVS NOB CAES, bust r.
Rev: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM around wreath containing VOT X
Size: 18.95 mm
Weight: 2.8 grams




Trajan, AD 98-117
Roman AR denarius; 2.92 gm, 20.1 mm, 7 h
Rome, AD 114-117
Obv: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC, laureate and draped bust, right
Rev: P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R, Mars walking right with spear and trophy
Refs: RIC 337

 

I agree @David Atherton , Vespasian made for great portraits!

Vespasian:

RI Vespasian 69-79 CE AE Dupondius Felicitas stdg caduceus cornucopia sinister left


RI Vespasian 69-79 CE AR Quinarius Victory seated wreath palm RIC 802 Rare

I just thought she was just plain FUNKY!

Kolchis 5th-4th C BCE BI hemidrachm 11.5mm 1.8g Archaic female head possibly Georgian goddess Dali - Bull head border SNG Cop 98


I captured this Tetartemorion because of its amazing portrait aon such a tiny flan:

CILICIA Uncertn Early-mid 4th C BCE AR Tetartemorion 5mm 0.17g Persian king running dagger and bow - Crowned hd Achaemenid king CNG E239 Troxell Kagan 4


I had checked my SNG Cop North Africa plate book a couple times, and this almost cartoon-like portrait is correct... but purdy odd:

Carthage Zeugitania AR ½ Shekel 17mm 3.8g 2nd Punic War 218-202 BC Sicily mint 216-211 BC Tanit l Horse r sun as double uraeus SNG COP 359


Another favorite: @Valentinian offered a great suggestion that this is an overstrike. I heartily agree, as the Mercenary/Libyan Revolt issues were hastily created and overstrikes were common. Herakles has a really beaten-up nose!

Carthage LIBYAN UPRISING Mercenary War 241-238 BCE AR DiShekel Heracles Head in Lion's Head- Lion walking R SNG Cop 240f
(I admit, I captured this one for the Lion reverse...and, that this is a very tough one to get.)


I got one of Olive Oyl...

And, Oh, yeah, and I captured it because of the History behind the coin:

RImp Marc Antony 43 BCE AR Quinarius 13mm 1.67g Lugdunum Winged bust Victory-probly Fulvia Lion DVNI LVGV Cr 489-5 Syd 1160


Like Vespasian, Trajan just LOOKS like an Imperator to me!

RI Trajan CE 98-117 AR drachm Struck CE 114-116 Arabia Petraea Bostra - Camel SNG ANS 1158

 

That's a sharp Vespasian!

My original vision for my Roman set was to snag the best portrait I could afford of each emperor, even settling for "problem" coins. I grew quickly dissatisfied with that approach, but a good portrait is still my #1 priority.

My all-time favorite portrait, a snarling Caracalla:


Some other honorable mentions:

One of the best Quintillus bronzes I've seen


A scholarly, aged Marcus Aurelius


A sharp, lifelike Trajan


Maximinus I showing his painful affliction


His Lardness


And some nice non-Roman portraiture

My favorite archaic from Ionia


Unattributable Cilician obol, possibly showing Artaxerxes III

 

Cool, @Finn235 , I think you and I have different denominations of the same coin series...

Mine (yeah, crappy photo...)

CILICIA Uncertn Early-mid 4th C BCE AR Tetartemorion 5mm 0.17g Persian king running dagger and bow - Crowned hd Achaemenid king CNG E239 Troxell Kagan 4

Yours:

Unattributable Cilician obol, possibly showing Artaxerxes III

 

Some more veristic/artistric portraits


Marcus Antoninus :



Vitellius :



Plautilla :



Maesa :



Pupienus :



Philip :



Volusian :


Q

 

Here are a couple:

Salonina from Alexandria





Pupienus:

 

Excellent coin @David Atherton

Here is my favourite portrait

 

@Alegandron, I think you may be right. Cilician coinage is fascinating, but we know all too little about them.

How about some nice Impressionistic designs for this thread?

Celtic Gaul, Aulerci Cenomani


Indo Sassanian, central India? Finn 1.3.1 "Fancy" type



Indo-Sassanian, Malwa Om type, made by people who had forgotten these coins have portraits


Central Asia, Samarkand "obol", so abstracted that the brain can't sort it out if it isn't rotated just right


And the famous non-portrait of Suleiman, ruler of Tabaristan

 

Not as pretty as the others you all have displayed but it showed me early on in my collecting how nice the portraits could be on this denomination. I did not even buy this one, It was given to me as a gift by a dealer when I purchased another coin, back then they had very little value. The obverse is meant to be Saint George. The reverse is a good portrait Manuel I Comnenus. It has an interesting patina, bronze coin turning dark..

 

There are more than enough coins in my collection where the portrait is what made me buy the coin. However, not all because the portrait was excellent. Some because the portrait was odd. Here are a couple I purchased because of oddities:

DOMITIAN
AE As
OBVERSE: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XVI CENS PER P P, laureate head right
REVERSE: MONETA AVGVSTI, Moneta standing left, holding scales and cornucopia
Struck at Rome, 92-94AD
10g, 26mm
RIC 756

VESPASIAN
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right
REVERSE: COS ITER TR POT, Pax seated left, holding branch and caduceus
Struck at Rome, 69-71 AD
3.31g, 18mm
RIC 29; RSC 94h; Sear 2285

HADRIAN
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate head right, draped left shoulder
REVERSE: P M TR P COS III, Aeternitas standing front, her head turned left and holding the heads of the sun and moon in hands
Struck at Rome, 119-122 AD
3.46g. 17mm
RIC 114

 

Really nice, David!

 

I didn't buy this coin. I found it in a batch of uncleaned coins many years ago. But I've held unto it because I liked the portrait:

Claudius II ("Gothicus"), A.D. 268-270
Billon Antoninianus
Siscia mint, Issue IV
Obv: IMP CLAVDIVS AVG
Rev: PROVIDEN AVG - Providentia, standing left, holding baton and cornucopiae; globe at feet
S in right field
RIC 187
19mm, 2.5g.