I really love coins like this. A nice big 1st Century bronze with no tooling or smoothing, a bit worn but decently priced. It's a treat in hand. Vespasian Æ Sestertius, 25.22g Rome mint, 76 AD Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS VII; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: S C in field; Spes stg. l., with flower RIC 884 (C). BMC 719. BNC 749. Acquired from Kölner, March 2021. Spes was a very common Flavian reverse type connected to future dynastic hope and harmony. Under Vespasian it is more commonly found on the middle bronzes and sparingly so on the sestertius. Please share your worn, but honest coins.
Lovely! That was probably still buying stuff during the reign of Trajan! I have many low-grade but beloved coins in my collection. They must have circulated for decades. I like to imagine they are impregnated with pagan altar smoke, gladiator blood, and olive oil. This is one of my all time favorites in any grade. It's worn. It has some flan flaws. But that patina! How it documents Faustina and Marcus' growing family! The heft of it in my hand! Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman oricalchum sestertius, 22.36 gm, 33.7 mm, 12 h. Rome, December AD 160. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: FECVND AVGVSTAE S C, (Faustina as) Fecunditas standing left, between two children (thought to represent Faustina III and Lucilla), holding two infants in her arms (thought to represent Fadilla and Cornificia). Refs: RIC 1635; BMCRE 902-904; Cohen 96; Strack 1336; RCV 5273; MIR 10.
My first Sestertius! I was able to identify it myself (RIC 143) and I was an absolute beginner. I like this coin and wouldn't refuse other Sestertii in this conservation. Especially for the price I paid (it was in a lot of 34 coins, 35 in fact but the 35th is a very worn piece and I don't think it's ancient, nevermind - lot was 100 EUR + taxes) What I also consider honest is this Otacilia Severa from Cilicia, worn, with surface issues nevertheless but I simply like it.
I'd love to find a Vespasian sestertius that I can afford, but these bronzes will do until then. Neither is anything special, but fit well into the "worn, but honest" category - my only two Vespasians (and exactly half of my "collection"...hahaha).
Here are my three sestertii with very honest, yet attractive wear. I had a fourth that I gave away for secret saturn. Young Commodus: Lucilla: I really like the patina highlights on teh reverse. I don't think this coin is tooled; maybe a bit on the bun, but I doubt it. Marcus Aurelius: I really like the orientation of this coin - obv has the portrait in a lozenge while reverse has it square. Perfect.
