I got Vitellius almost a week ago and so I was a bit dumbfounded that my Otho bid also managed to win. Otho is a really hard Emperor to get because of how short his reign was. He didn’t mint many coins in general. I know it’s in pretty poor condition but when it comes to the super rare Emperors beggars can’t be choosers xD. I just wanted an example of Otho for my collection and I’m glad this one at least has his name OTHO legible on the coin. Even if it is the only legible writing on it. Otho (January-April AD 69). AR denarius (20mm, 7h). ANACS Good 6. Rome, 15 January-9 March AD 69. IMP M OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P, bare, bewigged head of Otho right / VICTORIA-OTHONIS, Victory alighting right, with wreath in right hand, palm branch in left. RIC I 14.
Thanks! Yeah I just need Galba now and I’ll have all four Emperors from the Year of the Four Emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian). Caligula & Claudius will be really hard to get as well so I’ll probably have to settle for low grades of them too. I just wanted to get the super hard ones out of the way since I can always upgrade later to better examples.
Nice addition. A better reverse type and im surprised it's that heavy. 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!
N Nice ones! Oh about the weight that’s actually an error. The auction listing made a note that the weight on the label was incorrect but that the coin was authentic.
Don’t talk about slabs. There are people on the forums (not me) who will get really mad at you for even mentioning the accursed 4 letter word.
Caligula & Claudius scare the heck out of me. xD If I don’t finish all 12 Caesar’s Denarii it will be because of one of them I guarantee it.
@Gam3rBlake That's my kind of Otho! Very nice! Someday when I've saved enough I'll get one. I was watching an Otho denarius on a recent CNG auction. It was really worn, worse than yours, and holed to boot, so I thought maybe it'd be within my budget. Nope, I think it hammered for $450.
That's a very nice Otho denarius, @Gam3rBlake! My only coin for this emperor is a tetradrachm of Antioch, 69 AD, in pretty much "as found" condition. Prieur 101 14.5 grams
Congrats on your Otho! In my experience getting ANY kind of coin of Otho is an achievement due to his short 3 month reign and small quantity of minted coinage. I imagine much of it was melted down under Vespasian along with coinage of Galba and Vitellius. I don’t have proof for this but I can’t imagine Vespasian would let the coinage of “usurpers” circulate freely with his own. If I was Vespasian I’d recall and melt any coinage of the other 3 Emperors who challenged my claim to the throne and remint it into my own coinage. Because letting their coinage circulate would be a reminder to the Roman people of those challenges to my authority. I’d want them to forget about it.
That is really an achievement. My only Otho is a provincial from Antioch. Unfortunately his name is not legible on the coin (so I wasn't convinced it is indeed an Otho) but the CT colleagues confirmed it is. I like the coin - bold portrait and a nice countermark. Syria, Seleucis and Pieria. Antiochia ad Orontem. Otho. A.D. 69. Æ 14.97gr IMP M OTHO CAE(S) AVG (clockwise), laureate head of Otho, r. / S C, inscription in a laurel wreath of eight leaves. Countermarked - Howgego 245 - Athena facing right with shield and spear RPC I 4318, BMC 207, 209–11, McAlee 321c
Ooh that’s a beauty! I almost gave up looking for a denarius of Otho and was going to buy a different denomination if I didn’t win this one. But I’m trying as hard as I can to get a denarius specifically of every Emperors portrait so I wanted to at least try my best to get one before I gave up.
I think you did well. The legibility of the name makes up for a lot, and the outline of the portrait is clear. Congratulations! Good luck with Claudius and Caligula: as expensive as Otho denarii are, the denarii of Claudius and Caligula in equivalent condition seem to cost three or four times as much.
Thanks Donna! I plan on saving those two for last lol xD At least then I can justify the crazy expense by telling myself it’s the last or second to last coin I need to complete my set. I think I got a bit lucky that this Otho still has a fully legible “OTHO” still remaining on the obverse. I’ve seen some of them where the “OTHO” is either super worn to the point of being impossible to read or even worse the “OTHO” is completely missing due to an off center strike.
Interesting to see the variety of Otho's in this post. Here's my example of the OP type. 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.