A week or so ago I lamented the fact the a rare Tharacian dupondius of Titus was up for auction, but sadly was smoothed and possibly tooled. I had to pass on it. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/whats-wrong-with-this-coin.337830/#post-3498534 As luck (Fortuna?) would have it, I was recently able to acquire a much better example with no 'enhancements' in a much finer style. Titus Æ Dupondius, 12.49g Eastern Mint (Thrace?), 80-81 AD RIC 503 (R). BMC 314. RPC 507. Obv: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: ROMA; S C in exergue; Roma std. l. on cuirass, with wreath and parazonium Acquired from eBay, April 2019. A mystery mint struck coins for Titus sometime between 80-81. The style (heavily seriffed letters, large portraits, and massive reverse figures), unique obverse legends (DIVI VESP F for Titus), and uncommon fabric (flat, almost convex flans) all suggest a mint other than Rome. Attributing exactly where these coins were struck has historically been a moving target - Mattingly in BMCRE thought Lugdunum, H.A. Cahn believed somewhere in Bithynia. More recent scholarship has looked towards Thrace as a possible location for production based on the Balkan distribution pattern of found specimens. Although the region of mintage has been narrowed down, the city itself remains elusive. RPC has suggested possibly Perinthus. Presumably a shortage of bronze coins in the region during Titus' reign prompted a localised imperial issue. The striking of imperial bronze outside of Rome was an exceptional step at the time considering the last imperial branch mint at Lugdunum had shuttered late in Vespasian's reign. The issue consisted of sestertii, dupondii, asses, and semisses which copied types struck at Rome. Only one reverse is known for the dupondius - the Roma type seen on this coin. This example is Beautifully toned with an extraordinarily decadent portrait (it would do Vitellius proud). As you can see, the coin came slabbed. It is of course no longer so. The slab makes one error in the description (I'll overlook the outdated mint attribution) stating the coin was struck for Titus as Caesar - which it most certainly was not! What attracted me to the piece was both the spectacular portrait and the wonderfully rendered reverse (have you seen a better Roma?). I spent a few days thinking it over and even dreaming about it, but in the end I couldn't pass this beauty up and settled on agreed price. The reverse motif is, how we say, timeless. Post your extraordinary portraits or Roma types!
I saw that coin listed in that tool "High Rating" inventory. Surprised you got from him. Lovely coin, either way, love the Roma reverse especially.
Very fascinating and nice-looking coin, @David Atherton ! Here's one with a Roma reverse from Thrace: Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman Provincial AE 21.7 mm, 6.57 g. Thrace, Pautalia, AD 147-175. Obv: ΦΑVCΤΕΙΝΑ CΕΒΑCΤΗ, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: ΟVΛΠΙΑC ΠΑVΤΑΛΙΑC, Roma seated l., holding Nike and spear. Ruzicka-112; Moushmov-4113.
Great pickup David. Even better since you had to deal with a snake to get it. I love the unusual portrait. Thanks also for the interesting writeup.
I was hoping to see more Thracian examples for comparison sake. Someone speculated on Forvm that the mint could either be Serdica or Ratiaria. I'm fairly unfamiliar with Thracian issues, so it was nice to see yours. Thanks for posting it RC!
Thanks Andrew. This is one of the best portraits of Titus I've come across - flamboyant and decadent, what more could you ask for? To be honest, I think it was quite a coup adding this piece to the collection. It's definitely a contender for my year end Top Ten list! And I would love to know its provenance prior to eBay. No luck with asearch.
