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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;The Meat man, post: 16445054, member: 135271&quot;]Like many collectors, I have a loose mental list of specific coin types I would like to obtain sometime - kind of a lifetime coin wish-list. Each coin on the list represents a very significant purchase - e.g., a lifetime Julius Caesar portrait denarius, maybe an aureus sometime - expensive enough to require many months, maybe years of saving.</p><p><br /></p><p>One coin type on this list is the famous &quot;Judaea Capta&quot; type minted under the Flavians. The history in these coins is absolutely fascinating to me - the imagery as powerful today as it was back then. Fortunately, they are not rare. Unfortunately, the demand is very high!</p><p><br /></p><p>I did own a Judaea Capta denarius a little while ago - the classic coin, struck under Vespasian, with his portrait on the obverse, and mourning Judaea seated under arms and armor with &quot;IVDAEA&quot; in exergue on the reverse. But the coin was in not in the best shape, and I ended up selling it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem for me was that I didn&#039;t want just any IVDAEA CAPTA coin; I had some specific preferences:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. I wanted an Imperial, not a Provincial coin. Although I would love a Caesarea Maritime mint issue, and the local provincial coins have their own unique appeal, I prefer the artistry of the Imperial mints.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. I wanted a bronze coin, either sestertius or as - I prefer those reverse designs, larger and more detailed, with the full &quot;IVDAEA CAPTA&quot; over those of the typical denarii such as I previously owned.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. I wanted one with an obverse portrait of Titus, as he was the general in command there in Judaea and was largely responsible for conducting and concluding the war.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unfortunately, there is a price for being picky, and in this case it was many hundreds if not thousands of dollars. And after purchasing a very nice (and for me, expensive!) denarius of Augustus several months ago - <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-acquisition-i-am-speechless.400671/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-acquisition-i-am-speechless.400671/">see this topic</a> - I wasn&#039;t planning on making any significant purchases for quite some time.</p><p><br /></p><p>HOWEVER...when I saw this coin come up for sale at a bookmarked dealer&#039;s, I most certainly could not refuse! Yes, it is worn; but - it offers a quite decent portrait of Titus and full obverse inscriptions, and the most important elements of the reverse design are still clearly discernible - the palm tree, the mourning captive, and, importantly, the inscription - IVDAEA CAPTA - is very nearly complete. There is even a hint of the pile of arms behind the tree. Additionally, the coin&#039;s surfaces are smooth, and it features an appealing patina.</p><p><br /></p><p>The clincher, of course, was that the price was more than fair in my opinion, and I did not hesitate. Realistically, it&#039;s probably about the best such coin I could reasonably afford, and despite the wear I am delighted to be able to add it to my collection!</p><p><br /></p><p>And here is the coin -</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://content.invisioncic.com/k321387/monthly_2023_01/titus_judaea_capta.jpg.855475e072f53f0532f763292fdbd70a.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://content.invisioncic.com/k321387/monthly_2023_01/titus_judaea_capta.jpg.855475e072f53f0532f763292fdbd70a.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://content.invisioncic.com/k321387/monthly_2023_01/titus_judaea_capta.jpg.855475e072f53f0532f763292fdbd70a.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And...though it&#039;s an old purchase and certainly not on the same level as the above, I offer an example from the other side in that bitter conflict:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://content.invisioncic.com/k321387/monthly_2023_01/jewish_war_prutah.jpg.2f25df53ef54bcdf25b256a3629725a8.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://content.invisioncic.com/k321387/monthly_2023_01/jewish_war_prutah.jpg.2f25df53ef54bcdf25b256a3629725a8.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://content.invisioncic.com/k321387/monthly_2023_01/jewish_war_prutah.jpg.2f25df53ef54bcdf25b256a3629725a8.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for looking! And please, post your own &quot;IVDAEA CAPTA&quot; coins, coins related to the Jewish War, your own &quot;bucket-list&quot; coins, or anything else you think is relevant![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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