My Coin of the Year!

It's only March, but my latest acquisition will be hard to beat.



Vespasian
AR Denarius
74 AD, Rome mint
RIC 688 (R), BMC 147, RSC 569
Obv: IMP CAESAR in exergue; Vespasian stg. r., with branch and sceptre, in quadriga r.
Rev: VESP AVG across field; Victory on prow r., with wreath and palm

A major feature of Vespasian's coinage is in its use of antiquarian styled types and recycled ones from previous eras. K. Butcher and M. Ponting in The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage have shown that a big component of Vespasian's silver bullion consisted of recycled denarii from the republic and early empire. Vespasian's moneyers were removing the older worn coinage and replacing them with brand new coins and in the process keeping some of the familiar reverse designs that the Roman public had grown accustomed to.

With that in mind, this very rare coin which copies not only the reverse design of a denarius of Octavian, it also copies the obverse. The only change is with the reverse legend VESP AVG to indicate Vespasian's authority. Being undated, it is difficult to correctly place in the series. RIC assigns it to 74 AD based on the legends. D. Hendin to 71-72, just after Vespasian and Titus' joint triumph for the Jewish War.

This denarius is so rare I have only been able to locate six other examples, all of which are in public collections: BM 3 examples (one plated), Paris (obv die match with mine), Berlin (rev die match with mine), and ANA NY. Curtis Clay has kindly informed me of several other examples offered at auction: "Glendining, 1952, Ryan Part 5, part of lot 2147, not illustrated, 'only fine but rare.' Perhaps the same coin as Trau Sale, 1935, lot 625, pl. 8: a worn example. Stack's, Knobloch, May 1980, lot 300. VF, but small edge chip. Leu, April 1982, lot 327, VF."

I think the RIC rating of 'rare' really underestimates the rarity of the type.

From the GH Collection, ex Superior Galleries, The Moreira sale, Part II, 10-11 December 1988, 2374. Ex Nomos Obolos 4, 21 February 2016, 575.

Fantastic old cabinet toning on a large 20mm flan.

In the dozen or so years I have collected Flavian silver I have never seen the type go up for sale. Needless to say, the last few minutes of this auction added a few grey hairs!

 

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Saw it on forvm, seems like some of us are getting white whales early this year.

Great and interesting coin.

I assume the weight may be at or around 4g or so if it's a old republic coin?

 

Interesting coin, congrats on the score!

 

When I saw your post about your 'White Whale', I thought to myself 'that makes two of us!'

The silver is likely made up of old republican or early empire silver, but it adheres to the weight standard Vespasian currently had in place. It weighs 2.84g, most likely due to the wear.

 

Great acquisition David. Congrats!

 

Nice coin, congrats!

 

one of my favorite spongebob episodes sums of the feeling of a win like that..



awesome score for u v70!

 

Thanks guys! I cannot over estimate how much this acquisition means to me.
All your comments are greatly appreciated.

If any of you have also acquired a 'white whale' like myself and Mat, please feel free to post it.

 

Impressive V70

 

Awesome addition, V70 (congrats)

 

Also, not only would any other 'white whales' be welcomed, I would love to see the corresponding Octavian denarius anyone may have.

 

Great find!

 

That's a great coin, genuinely rare. Congratulations, Vespasian70! By any chance, were you the buyer of the unique Titus denarius with these types offered in Gemini a few years ago?

 

While I am impressed by 'rare'; I am much more impressed by 'different'. There could be several rare coins of Vespasian with portrait obverses that I have not seen but I am especially happy to see this very different coin.

 

Mr. David, such a cool coin, it shall be your preciousssssss.

 

This is a fantastic coin! Congratulations!

 

Just WOW

 

Such a fantastic coin, despite the wear on it, that I can understand the excitment and enthusiasm you may feel.

I can show an Octavian denarius with, if not matching exactly, an approaching reverse to your example


Octavian, Denarius Italian mint, possibly Rome, 31-30 BC
Anepigraph, bare head of Octavian left
CAESAR - DIVI F, Victory standing right on globe, holding wreath
3.84 gr
Ref : HCRI # 408, RCV # 1552v, Cohen # 66, RIC # 255
The following comment is taken from CNG, sale 84 # 957 :
"Following his victory at Actium, Octavian ordered a golden statue of Victory, standing on a globe and holding a wreath and palm, to be set up on an altar in the Curia in Rome. This statue had been captured by the Romans from Pyrrhus in 272 BC, and it assumed a somewhat tutelary mystique, protecting the Roman state from dissolution. In AD 382, the emperor Gratian ordered its removal. Two years later, the senator and orator Symmachus urged Valentinian II to replace it, a request that was met with stiff opposition from the bishop of Milan, Ambrose. Though it was briefly returned to its place by the usurper Eugenius, it was again removed following his defeat. Petitions to Theodosius I for its subsequent replacement were refused, on grounds that the once-important symbol of the gods’ blessing on the Roman Empire was now nothing more than a piece of paganism"

Q

 

Thanks Phil! Unfortunately I was not the winner of the corresponding unique Titus Caesar denarius. There were so many neat coins in that sale that I wanted, and so I chose a scattershot approach and left that Titus to another. It went for nearly 10k if I recall correctly!

 

Oh wow, that's a wonderful Octavian! As a Victory type it truly is in the same spirit as my Vespasian. I believe the corresponding Octavian quadriga/Victory denarius was struck to celebrate the Actium victory as well.