It´s 9.30 AM in Germany right now and I do not feel like going to the office yet, so I´ll have another coffee and post something here instead . Grabbing a coin from my cabinet, taking new macro pictures of it under the kitchen lamp, and trying to find out something interesting about it is something I never get tired of... Got nothing spectacular for you today, so here is my Vespasian. I never found this Emperor interesting enough to replace this, one of my first Sestertii. It´s an honest and hefty coin to hold and while the portrait is worn (but still individual enough to represent him in my portrait gallery) I do find the reverse quite attractive. The allusion of Peace (Pax) on this coin was truly meaningful for the first time in many years after the empire had struggled heavily during the recent civil wars of 69 AD. Rome was clearly ready for peace to be restored and Vespasian was able to achieve that. IMP CAES VESPAS AVG PM TR P P P COS III - Laureate head of Vespasian right PAX AVGVSTI S C - Pax standing left, holding olive-branch and cornucopia Sestertius, Rome 71 33 mm / 26,42 gr RIC 437, BMCRE 555, Cohen 326, Sear 2330
Its 11:30 AM overhere in the Netherlands, and I just finished my coffee. Here's my Vespa / Pax Dupondius:
It's exactly midday now here in (central) Germany and I didn't feel like going to the office today either. Actually I don't need to since I work from home nothin like being self employed. Let me pull out a few of my Vespasian sestertii:
I cannot agree with that statement, but I will agree that is a very nice sestertius. And in the spirit of the thread, here is a Vespasian standing Pax from my collection. Vespasian AR Denarius, 3.40g Rome Mint, 69-70 AD RIC 27 (C), BMC 21, RSC 94g Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: COS ITER TR POT; Pax, draped, standing l., holding branch extended in r. hand and winged caduceus in l. Acquired from Amphora Coins, ebay, February 2006.
Thank you for posting, @Julius Germanicus ! I need to agree with @David Atherton in that I find Vespasian to be a rather fascinating character. I have quite a few Vespasian Denarii which I enjoy posting occasionally but here is the one that kicked-off my collection. This is my first Roman Imperial coin and my first ancient silver coin also. It's the one in the lower right of the collection.
It's 8 AM here in Virginia and I neither work nor drink coffee but I do like sestertii of Vespasian. While you could say the same for the much more expensive coins of Galba and Vitellius, early sestertii of Vespasian are big and impressive. They feel good in hand compared to the later and smaller coins most of us call sestertii. Of course my decision to retire 14 years ago limited my budget for high end sestertii but I still get a lot of enjoyment out of my worn, 36mm Mars with leftie portrait. Would I get more happiness out of an EF with surfaces I was afraid to touch? Give me one and we will both know.
Wonderful posts! I just finished my coffee and now it's 9:30 am for this happily retired old dude. I also find both Vespasian and Titus fascinating---Domitian not so much I'll throw in my small stash of 'Bronzes'...a dupondius of Vespasian and a sestertii of Domitian:
It is a Vespasian love fest! I admire the crafty old mule seller and his one good son (Titus). Not so sure about the other son (Domitian), but who knows what is true and what isn't that has been written about him. He sure took running the empire seriously though. John
Vespasian Ae Sestertius Rome 71 AD Obv Head right laureate. Rv. Pax standing left RIC243 26.27 grms 31mm Photo by W. Hansen
Well Vespasian was not an attractive fella to begin with... and my sestertius does not do him any favors.. But it's a big hunka history at 23 grams... and seeing that he's the fricken Emperor you better believe he got this reaction when he met the Plebs!
Great coins! A sestertius of Vespasian is on my list. Here is an As of Vespasian and Victory: Vespasian. 69-79 AD. AE As (11.77g). Rome mint. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS VIII P P; Laureate head right / S C in field; Victory flying l., with shield inscribed SPQR. RIC 1240.
It's saturday 13.30 h in France, not far from Fontainebleau. After a late breakfast, my son who came yesterday to see us with his girlfriend has just left, I have been working a little in my office, but now I have no more ideas. My wife is going out for a haircut. I turned off the news, too depressing. It's cold outside, the temperature plummeted since yesterday and it will probably be raining soon. I have been choosing a movie for tonight in Fontainebleau (Le Règne Animal, a story about people being transformed into all kinds of wildlife with fur, feathers or scales), and we'll go to some restaurant after that. I'll now have a clean shave, so the poor girl with her new hairdo won't be too ashamed being seen dining with a hairy tramp. What? Vespasian? Oh yes, I forgot, sorry. It's not a sestertius, it's a dupondius. Just grabbed a coin, my smartphone, some editing, that's it : Vespasian, Dupondius, Lyons, AD 71 - AE 28 mm, 13.08 g Obv.: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III, radiate head right Rev.: PAX AVG / S C, Pax, draped, standing left, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over lighted altar left and holding caduceus and branch in left hand RIC II.1 (2nd ed.) Vespasian 1143
