It was with great pleasure I was able to obtain this Flavian grail a couple of weeks ago. It's not everyday that one comes across such a coin! Vespasian AR Quinarius, 1.55g Rome mint, 79 AD Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS COS IX; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: VICTORY AVGVSTI; Victory adv. r., with wreath and palm RIC 1071 (R2). BMC -. RSC -. BNC -. Acquired from Numismeo, September 2021. Ex ALDE, 19 October 2016, lot 240. Vespasianic quinarii are extremely rare, and none more so than those struck in 79. When the new RIC II.1 was published only one specimen was known residing in the Budapest collection. In 2016 the present coin came up for auction and later was cited by the RIC authors in the Addenda & Corrigenda as the second known example. Owing to their extreme rarity, it's likely these quinarii may have been struck just prior to Vespasian's death in June. Vespasian revived the quinarius after a long hiatus going back to the time of Augustus. Striking this denomination was quite in keeping with the antiquarian flavour of the Rome mint during his reign. This quinarius has been a 'dream coin' of mine for many years. I cannot begin to express how very satisfying it is to finally have added this elusive piece to the collection! I would love to see your own 'dream coins'.
Great coin, @David Atherton ! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a quinarius before — if I had, I was not aware of what it was. The image of Vespasian is great — he appears cheerful and looking skyward. This one is sort of a dream coin because finding one of this quality was difficult and expensive. This 8-prutot type is one of the largest Judaean coins of the period.
Congratulations, @David Atherton! finally getting a coin you were dreaming about for years must be terrific. I hunted some modern coins from my country for years, they rarely appeared for sale, and when they finally did, the condition was terrible and the prices .... also terrible. I had the chance to meet a gentleman who was selling an old collection and sold me some of those dream coins at very decent prices. In ancients, I don't have a dream coin, the ones that could be named dream coins ... will remain at this stage because of their extreme rarity. The ones I still want will come sooner or later, as the coins in my short list are not rarities. However, I was extremely happy to win this Vespasian posthumous denarius with Capricorns, I created a topic about Capricorns&co last Sunday Of course, nothing spectacular, but I liked this type and I lost 2 similar coins in the last months so I was starting to wonder if I will get one. Finally did. Although I am not 100% happy with the reverse, I just love Vespasian's portrait. In regards to your coin, I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking that the design looks like the Caesarea hemidrachm. Not a coin of the same caliber, but not an ugly one either
Great find & congrats. I do not have Holy Grail coins.... that fit my budget: an EID-MAR, a cast bronze coin of greater than 1 As... I did obtain a really neat and not too common 2 oz. scale weight this year: IIVNCIA / γB.
What a beautiful little coin Coingrats David. Vespasian smiles upon you Here are a few dream coins that I've been fortunate enough to pick up:
Congratulations on an elusive coin that you've wanted for so long - that must be absolutely exhilarating! I have no idea how rare any Vespasian COS IX coin might be, but just the historical significance of the date would be exciting for me. Great stuff!
Awesome, @David Atherton ! Big congrats on that great find! Mine VESPASIAN QUINARIUS RI Vespasian 69-79 CE AR Quinarius Victory seated wreath palm RIC 802 Rare
Most of Vespasian's coins from 79 are fairly scarce in comparison to his other regnal years. And it doesn't hurt they date to a rather eventful year!
I'm not tired of seeing it. But really any coin you would consider a 'grail' would be fitting as well.
