Sometimes you just luck out. My latest coin is a great example of this - a Vespasian dupondius woefully misattributed (as Fortuna) and therefore listed at a bargain basement price. What more can you ask for? Vespasian Æ Dupondius, 13.34g Rome mint, 71 AD Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III; Head of Vespasian, radiate, r. Rev: PAXS AVGVSTI; S C in field; Pax stg. l., with cornucopiae, setting fire to arms RIC 276 (R2). BMC 590 corr. BNC -. Acquired from Canadian Coin Currency, June 2020. An extremely rare dupondius struck during Vespasian's great bronze issue of 71 featuring Pax setting fire to a pile of (Jewish) arms. It is so rare that only one die pair has been recorded for this Pax type on the dupondius. It is more frequently seen on the sestertius, and even then rarely so. The unusual reverse legend featuring the odd spelling of 'PAXS' is also only encountered here. An RIC footnote mentions that on some specimens the 'S' is obliterated (as on the BM example), however, this coin clearly shows it. This highly symbolic reverse first appeared on the coinage of Galba and was later carried over to Vespasian's coinage. Music to set arms alight by. Feel free to show your misattributed bargains.
Odd that the seller thought it was Fortuna, given that it's pretty easy to read at least "PAX" on the reverse.
Talking Heads was in my mind when I viewed the title.........nice to see someone else as deviant as me.
To be honest, this was my first choice. But I thought a creaky '60s psychedelic pop song would be to obscure.
This is perhaps the best misattributed-by-the-auction-house coin in my collection -- a rare dupondius that was listed as a sestertius. Including shipping and all fees, it was still less expensive than taking a family of four to the movies. There are four known examples of this coin: 1. Paris specimen cited by Cohen and Strack, 2. Naples specimen cited by Strack, 3. Münzhandlung Basel (Auction 1), June 28, 1934, pl. 29, 1171, 4. My specimen: Faustina Senior, AD 138-141. Roman orichalcum dupondius, 16.19 g, 26.1 mm, 10 h. Rome, AD 140-141. Obv: DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: CONSECRATIO S C, Funeral pyre in three stories, set on base, ornamented and garlanded, surmounted by Faustina in biga right. Refs: RIC 1189; BMCRE p. 236 *; Cohen 187; RCV --; Strack 1238.
It's such a great feeling to not only snag a bargain but also while doing so to rescue a rarity from obscurity. I just hope my envelopes stay with my coins after I'm long gone.
