A small step towards 12 Caesars set

That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind... actually no.
Better said - that's one worn denarius, one good leap for me in my long term goal to complete a 12 Caesars set.
Bought this one, a little below my conservation requirements but since the hammer was not extremely high, although not cheap either for a worn Denarius, I decided to go for it.
The cons for this Denarius are obvious but overall I think my decision was the correct one because of the pros:
- not a common emperor
- good portrait
- attributable without any doubt
- I like the type, even if it's the standard "somebody seated/standing" that I try to avoid as much as possible, but being related to sacrifice and the habits Vitellius was known for, that's quite OK.
So yep, personally I'm happy with this coin.



Vitellius (69) AR Denarius, Rome
A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P - laureate head of Vitellius right.
Rev: PONT MAXIM - Vesta, veiled, seated on throne right, holding patera and scepter
RIC 107 S
2,83 gr, 19 mm

Quoting Rasiel Suarez's 2005 The Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins:

So not a glorious emperor (at all), really not a glorious reign and no reason to be remembered .... except when trying to add a coin in the collection!

Please post
- Vitellius coins
- coins that are not exactly FDC but you like them due to rarity/symbols/reigns etc
- anything else you feel relevant.

 

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VITELLIUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head right
REVERSE: XV VIR SACR FAC Tripod, raven below, dolphin above
Struck at Rome, Apr/Dec 69AD
2.9g, 19mm
RIC 109, BMC 39, S 2201

VITELLIUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head right
REVERSE: PONT MAXIM, Vesta seated right, holding scepter and patera
Struck at Rome, Apr/Dec 69AD
1.44g, 19mm
RIC 107

 

Silver Coin (AR Denarius) minted at Rome during the reign of VITELLIUS after July 69 A.D. Obv. A.VITELLIVS.GERM.IMP.AVG.TR.P. laurel. hd. r. Rev. CONCORDIA.P.R.: Concordia, dr., std. l., r. holding patera l. cornucopia. RCS #752. RSCII #18 pg.35. RIC #90 pg.272. DVM #3a pg.96.

 

Vitellius (69 A.D.)
AR Denarius
O: A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP TR P,Laureate head right.
R: S P Q R / OB / C S in three lines within wreath.
Rome Mint, 69 A.D.
3.15g
18.5mm
RIC I 83; RSC 86.



Vitellius (69 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Billon Tetradrachm
O: ΩΛΟΥ ΟΥΙΤ ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΑΥΤ, laureate head right.
R: Nike advancing left, holding wreath with her extended right hand and palm frond with her left; LA (date) to left.
26mm
12.1g
RPC 5372; Köln 260-2; Dattari 340; K&G 19.1. Emmett 196.1

 

..that one goes in two sets...the '12 caesars' and 'year of the 4' great score!

 

Don't have a Vitellius yet. Nice coin and excellent examples all.

 

This one was also cheap (32euro)



This was not cheap,its in my 12 Caesar bronze set:

 

Thanks everybody, keep Vitellius flowing!
@Andres2 - Too bad the denarius was very harshly cleaned (from what I see in the pics), otherwise the obverse would have been good, especially good centering and legend.

The as - excellent. You can truly feel the emperor's disapproval.

 

@ambr0zie....I don't know about others but I actually find your coin really appealing!
Nice looking portrait and lovely toning....Congrats on a sweet looking coin!

 

Thanks @Spaniard. Certainly not the most beautiful denarius from my budget collection but I don't know when I will find another Vitellius with 2 figures price and decent enough.
I was hunting another Vitellius denarius, similar to the one presented by @Jims Coins here, it was better than mine but the hammer price was 50 euros higher. No problems, this meant I had budget for other interesting coins in the auction.

 

Vitellius was the last of the 12 Caesars missing in my Sestertius set!

Sestertii of his reign are for whatever reason as rare as Aurei and expensive in any grade.

Therefore all I could afford ist this specimen which despite it´s grade of only "nearly F" I will never be willing or able to replace. As an added bonus it is according to David Sear a previously unrecorded variant:



A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP AVG P M TR P - laureate and draped bust of Vitellius right / S C, Mars, naked but for helmet and cloak over shoulders, advancing right, holding spear in right hand and legionary standard (aquila) over shoulder in left
Sestertius, Rome mint, September-October 69 AD
35.64 mm / 24,29 gr
RIC - , BMCRE - , Cohen - , Sear - , Cayon - Mazzini -

Further reading:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-sestertius-of-vitellius-mars.356435/
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/se...stion-of-eagle-or-trophy.355141/#post-4124339

 

Nice work getting that fella checked off! Everytime you tick off one of these rare Emperors it just feels good.
Yours is certainly a better condition than most... mine included

 

This is a mediocre specimen, but it was the best available that I could afford -- even though I think Vitellius is generally the most affordable among the trio of Galba, Vitellius, and Otho. Most importantly for me, his name is legible, which is something I really wanted.

Vitellius AR Denarius, Jul 18-Dec 69 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TRP / Rev. Tripod-lebes (cauldron) surmounted by dolphin lying right on top, with raven standing right below, XV VIR SACR FAC. RIC I 109, RSC II 111 (ill.), Sear RCV I 2201 (ill.), BMCRE 39. 18.5 mm., 3.1 g. [See Sear RCV I at p. 421, explaining that the reverse “refers to Vitellius’ membership in the priestly college of the Quindecimviri Sacris Faciundis, ‘fifteen men for the conduct of sacred matters.’ This body had care of the Sibylline prophecies and were famous for the opulence of their banquets ,a feature of the priesthood which particularly appealed to the gluttonous emperor."]

 

I like it! Good portrait, well centered and full legends. If that is mediocre, this means mine is a shame
This denarius with raven and dolphin is the most common Vitellius as far as I know. I wanted one but the PONT MAXIM appeared first.

 

Describing this coin as a "mediocre specimen" is far too harsh when there is so much to recommend it. Both the obverse and reverse are well centered. The obverse legend is particularly crisp and fully readable with Vitellius' name completely on the flan. The portrait has all the important features and is unmistakably Vitellius. Finally, the coin simply has outstanding eye-appeal. It's a great addition to just about any collection of 12 Caesars denarii.

 

I guess what I meant by that word is that by old-fashioned grading standards, I think it would be called "Fine." Which is in the middle, right? I'm really not complaining; I'm happy with it! But perhaps I was a bit too harsh. I have a tendency sometimes to denigrate my own coins for fear that someone else will do it if I don't.

 

Your denarius is great and one of the tougher emperors of the Civil war period and the 12 in general, to find. Good luck on the remaining 11, it’s a fun and challenging set


Vitellius. 69 AD. AR Denarius. Rome. Vitellius facing right. Dolphin & raven surmounted on tripod RIC-109 (RSC 111)

 

One small step... my Dad saved this newspaper for me... now framed at home.. July 21, 1969



My rough Vitellius was my last step towards my very low end 12 Caesars set...
it fits right in with the rest of my rough coins:



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Congrats, @ambr0zie ! Yours is a much better step than my humble version!


RI Vitellius 69 CE AR Denarius PONT MAXIM Vesta Seated

 

I tend to disagree even if I like my coin. Yours has much better reverse and also the obverse is better centered...