OTD:Oh no,4 Otho!The toupe wearing guy who sold his wife to Nero does a good deed and kills himself

That's right, on this date 1,951 years ago; Otho, a man known for being a selfish glutton, supposedly, decides it is better for himself to die then for his country to fall into civil war...which it does anyway. Doofus.



It was face deep in 69 CE, that all heck broke loose thanks to the, literal, running out of town followed by suicide of Nero, that would set up the eventual, also, suicide of one of Nero's old favorite drinking buddies, Otho.



Plenty has been said about the wavy wig wearing fellow. So I'll save it and share my Othos and hope that you all will do the same!


OTHO
Den, SECVRITAS PR, Securitas stg l; F/AVG, part of obv lgnd wk/off,scant rev lgnd, good metal with just smooth wear, lt tone, minor scr on rev. Portrait quite bold & nice. Ex Frank Robinson


A provincial that was identified as Nero that my dad gave to me. Once I identified it as O bomb, I gave it back to him.

Otho’s ex wife, Poppaea Sabina,whom Nero was so infatuated with that, after he had reportedly kicked her to death, Nero kept a beautiful young unic that looked like her around everywhere he went.


Nero With Poppaea
ALEXANDRIA
Billon tetradrachmon, 63-64. Head with strkr. No. Rv. [POPPAI] A SEBASTH Drap. Bust nr, the hair in the neck in a braid, in the field r. Date LI (= year 10). 12.18 g. Geissen 58, 157. Dattari 12, 196. RPC I, 708, 5275. Rare.
Ex: Savoca

So, please Post-O those Oth-Os! and anyone or thing that you deem worthy

 

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Otho (69 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Billon Tetradrachm
O: ΑΥΤΟΚ ΜΑΡΚ ΟΘΩΝΟΣ ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ, laureate head right; L A (date) to right.
R:ΡΩΜΗ, helmeted and cuirassed bust of Roma right, holding shield and spear.
13.4g
23mm
Dattari (Savio) 330; K&G 18.9; RPC I 5362; Emmett 186.1

Published on Wildwinds!


Otho (69 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Billon Tetradrachm
O: AYTOK MAPK OΘΩNOΣ KAIΣ ΣEB, laureate head right, LA (year 1) lower right.
R: EΛEY-ΘEPIA, Eleutheria (Liberty) standing left, wreath in extended right hand, scepter in left hand, leaning with left elbow on column, simpulum (ladle used for tasting and pouring sacrificial libations) left in lower left field.
12.58g
24.4mm
Milne 359; RPC I 5354 (5 spec.); Dattari 327; BMC Alexandria p. 25, 208; Curtis 238; Kampmann 18.6; Emmett 184

Ex. Jyrki Muona Collection

This variety with a simpulum on the reverse is much rarer than the same type without this control symbol. RPC reports only 5 specimens with the simpulum and 17 specimens without it. This variety is missing from the important collections in Cologne, Paris, and Milan, and we know of only one example offered at auction in the past two decades (CNG 76, 12 Sep 2007, lot 3152, VF, $430 plus fees).


Published on Wildwinds!

 

OTHO
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP M OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P, bare head right
REVERSE: VICTORIA OTHONIS, Victory standing left on globe, wreath extended in right, palm frond in left
Struck at Rome, Jan-Feb 69 A.D
3.179g, 18.7mm
RIC I 17, BMCRE I 25, SRCV I 2165

 

Otho, 69. Denarius (Silver, 18 mm, 2.99 g, 6 h), Rome. IMP M OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P Bare head of Otho to right. Rev. VICTORIA OTHONIS Victory advancing right, holding wreath in her right hand and palm over her left shoulder. BMC 22. Cohen 27. RIC 14.

P.S. @Ryro, in that historical portrait you posted, based upon the famous fresco found at Baiae, which one is Nero and which is Otho?

 

..this was a long sought after coin!...

 

Sure looks like Otho's Kramerian hair (wig) style to me!

 

You should write tabloid headlines! Excellent coin @Ryro.

 

Otho (Augustus)
Coin: Silver Denarius
IMP OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P - Bare head right.
PONT MAX - Ceres standing left, holding grain ears and long cornucopia.
Mint: Rome (69 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.51g / 19mm / 6h
Rarity: Very Rare
References:
RIC I 20 (an aureus)
BMC 9
C. 11
RSC 11
BN 25
Provenances:
numismatic lance
Numismatik Lanz Munchen
Acquisition/Sale: numismatic lance eBay $0.00 11/19
Notes: Nov 21, 19 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection

Struck 9 March-mid April 69 AD-note; Muona Group 3, Type 12B

 

..i had one of those in a layaway some years ago and let it get away...

 

Gettin' wiggy wit it...


OTHO
AR Denarius. 3.19g, 17.6mm. Rome mint, 15 Jan to mid-April AD 69. RIC I (second edition) Otho 8 (R2); Sear 2161. O: IMP M OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P, bare head right. R: SECVRITAS P R, Securitas, draped, standing left, holding wreath in right hand and sceptre in left.
Notes: Same reverse die as S141 (Bologna museum) from Jyrki Muono's die study of Otho denarii, with an obverse die unknown to him but close to that of the Bologna coin and in his opinion, "undoubtedly cut by the same engraver".

 

...i was surprised to find out that Mr. Drysdale wore a toupee' when i did...

 

My denarius of Otho with Securitas reverse.
He was a strange character in life, but evidently noble in death.

 

Otho denarius 69 A.D. Obv. Head right bewigged. Rv. Victory advancing left VICTORIA OTHONIS RIC 16 3.34 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen

 

Nice post @Ryro! The 'why' of his death remain very peculiar...

Here's my coin: