Vespasian with a Vitellian portrait

I just won this one from Roma today. I bought it because it has a wonderful Vitellian portrait. I have seen other coins of Vespasian with a portrait that resembles Vitellius, but this is one of the best I have seen and so I could not resist it. The coin type is very common but the portrait makes this coin exceptional.



Vespasian AR Denarius. Rome, AD 70.
3.18g, 18mm, 6h.
Obv: IMP CAESAR V[ESPASIANV]S AVG, laureate head right
Rev: COS ITER TR POT, Pax standing left, holding olive branch and caduceus.
RIC 27.
Roma Numismatics E-Sale 57 Lot 840 May 30, 2019

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

That is nice, congrats.

 

Great coin, love the portrait. Congrats.

 

I saw that one in their sale and thought of you immediately (no resemblance to the effigy). Glad to see that you got it! Congrats!

 

I completely agree, great catch!

 

Excellent! This one's very far down the Vitellius end of the spectrum.

Vitellius was quite a striking guy in appearance — there's a hardness in the better coin portraits (yours as a quality example) that doesn't come across in the corpulent "Pseudo-Vitellius" sculpture (etc.) IMO.

 

What a very Vitellian portrait! Remember those posts of David's where we had to guess whether the portrait was Vespasian or Vitellius? Those were fun .

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/hail-vitellius-oops-i-mean-vespasian.292161/

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/vitellius-or-vespasian-round-two.292338/

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/vitellius-or-vespasian-round-3.293323/

 

If I was Vespasian I'd exile the celator that made that portrait. Vespasian may not have been the most handsome ruler, but next to Vitellius, Vespasian looks like Fabio...


Actual statue of Vitellius


What Vespasian looks like standing next to Vitellius.

 

That is the most exceptional f the Vit-Ves dies I recall seeing. I am glad it went to a home whre it will be appreciated.
Mine is a few months earlier. It must be rough to be a mint worker and wonder if all that work you did yesterday will still be current today.


Can we identify coins with a Titus legend and a portrait that probably was Vespasian the day before? They looked enough alike that it might be hard to spot.

 

An exceptional portrait! Certainly one of the first denarii struck for Vespasian at Rome. I believe this Pax type along with the Aequitas and Fortuna types were the very first coin types struck for Vespasian at Rome, primarily because these types are the ones normally associated with the Vitellian-like portraits. Even though the Judaea Capta type is catalogued first in RIC it could not have been struck before August 70 when Jerusalem fell.

 

Yup. I have a few early Titus as Augustus denarii that look like Vespasian.





Apparently it took a week or so for a few engraver's muscle memory to adjust to the new portrait.

 

NB: The BM's specimen looks very similar to your coin.

 

Thanks Doug. It will have a good home in my collection.

 

Wow, another interesting portrait. Thanks for posting that.

 

Thanks to all for the kind comments.

 

Amazing coin. It's like they didn't even bother to change the portrait. Here are mine


IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG
laureate head right

COS ITER TR POT
Aequitas standing left holding scales and sceptre

Rome 70 AD

3.51g

RIC II 21 (C), BMC 17, RSC 94a, Sear 2284


IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG

Laur. head of Vespasian right

COS ITER TR POT

Pax seated left holding olive branch and caduceus

Rome 70 AD

RIC 29 (C3), BMC 26, RSC 94h, Sear 2285

3.4g

 

Vespasian with an Otho style portrait (and one heck of an Adam's apple):

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

 

Is there a consensus (if there can be one) of what Vitellius really looked like? The only bust of him that I'm familiar with doesn't resemble his coin portraits very much, where he looks much older.

 

Congrats, Orfew, what an excellent addition to your collection!