This was a no-brainer purchase. As soon as I saw the remarkable portrait, combined with the extreme rarity of the piece, I didn't hesitate! Titus as Caesar [Agrippa II] Æ27, 14.89g Caesarea Paneas mint, 73-74 AD Obv: ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΤΙΤΟϹ - ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ϹΕΒΑϹ; Bust of Titus, laureate, draped and cuirassed, r. Rev: ΕΤ ΔΙ-ΒΑ / ΑΓΡΙ-ΠΠΑ; Victory standing, r., holding wreath and palm RPC 2246 (0 spec.). Hendin 1302. Acquired from Zuzim, November 2020. Ex Fontanille Coins, Auction 95, May 2017, lot 7. Agrippa II sporadically struck coinage for the Flavian dynasty throughout his long reign. The coins circulated within his kingdom (Northern Palestine) and were likely coined at Caesaera Panesa, although the mint is not certain (Hendin places it at Caesarea Maritima). Confusingly, Agrippa's mint(s) employed two different dating eras for his coinage - one starting in 56 and the second in 60 or 61. This middle bronze struck in the name of Titus Caesar is dated regnal year 14 by the second era and was produced in either 73 or 74 AD. Puzzling, according to this dating scheme, this is the only lifetime issue of the Cuirassed bust/Victory type struck for Titus Caesar, the bulk of his coinage being produced posthumously under Domitian! It's a fabulously rare coin with 0 specimens cited by RPC in the 'core' museum collections. Historical note: The siege of Masada in southern Judaea was conducted contemporaneously with this coin's production. The stunning portrait combined with the beautiful sandy patina makes it easy for me to forgive the problems with the reverse! Post your superb portraits!
Great portrait, though personally, I'd be wary of this sort of patina. To my eyes, it appears a little too close to the sort of "acceptable repatination" that Fontanille illustrate here.
Those historical connections between the person portrayed and related events on the coin date are interesting, @David Atherton. Here's another example of a Titus 73/74 coin: Gadara, Decapolis. Titus as Caesar (69-79 AD). AE (17 mm, 4.10 g, 12 h). TITOΣ KAIΣAP; Laureate head of Titus right / Turreted, veiled and draped bust of Tyche right; to left, ΓΑΔΑPA (Gadara); to right, date: L ZΛP (year 137 = 73/4 AD). Spijkerman 29. @zumbly, the Fontanille page is a useful reference on coin "restoration" techniques, although collectors' opinions vary on what is acceptable. Thanks for posting the link.
David, Congrats on adding this rarity to your impressive gallery of coins ! When requesting "Post your superb portraits!", you didn't specify portraits of Titus, so I'm posting 3 of mine that aren't Titus .
Superb portraits are ... well ... unusual in the Roman provincial series. Often, they are crudely rendered, such as these of Caligula and Caracalla, respectively: So, it's always a delight to see such an artistic portrait such as yours, @David Atherton. This one has perhaps the nicest portraits of any provincial coins in my collection. You'll even enjoy that it depicts a couple of Flavians! Domitian, AD 81-96, and Domitia, AD 82-96. Roman provincial Æ 24 mm, 9.45 g. Cilicia, Anazarbus, city year 112 = AD 93/4. Obv: ΑΥΤΟ ΚΑΙ ΘΕ ΥΙ ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΕ ΓΕΡ, laureate head of Domitian, right; behind, star. Rev: ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΩΝ ΔΟΜΕΤΙΑ ⳞΕΒΑⳞΤΗ, ΙΒ-Ρ (in field), draped bust of Domitia, left. Refs: RPC II 1749; SNG France 2019-20; BMC 9; Ziegler 76 (obv 1/rev 3); SNG Levante 1374. Notes: Double die match to RPC specimen (Roma Numismatics XVIII, 29 Sept. 2019, lot 758 (ex Künker 236, 7 Oct. 2013, lot 1025)) and the SNG Levante plate coin.
