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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Julius Germanicus, post: 4124339, member: 80783&quot;]Dear friends, I think about buying a Sestertius of Vitellius.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem ist that genuine specimens are outnumbered by „Paduans“ and other casts at least ten to one.</p><p><br /></p><p>While browsing specimens of one of his most popular types, SC with Mars advancing right, carrying spear in right hand and trophy over left shoulder (RIC 141), I noticed something disturbing:</p><p><br /></p><p>RIC mentions that the earlier version of this non-legend Mars type (featuring GERMANICVS spelled out in the obverse legend = RIC 121, BMCRE 60, Sear 2208 var.) carried not a trophy, but an Aquila (eagle standard) over the shoulder (RIC also mentions a variety with a trophy instead of the Aquila, but cannot confirm it and I think it does not exist).</p><p>After Germanicus was shortened to GERMAN in the obverse legend shortly thereafter, RIC and the other sources agree that the Aquila was replaced by the familiar „trophy“ (which makes it look like Mars is carrying not an eagle, but a bag of goodies at the end of the stick).</p><p>This type however (RIC 141, BMCRE 58, Cohen 79, Sear 2208) is so often seen as a Cavino design or later cast that I am beginning to doubt if originals (with Mars carrying a trophy and not an Aquila over his shoulder) ever even existed.</p><p><br /></p><p>1) This VITELLIUS GERMAN Sestertius here clearly shows an <u>Eagle</u> where RIC and the other sources say there should be a „trophy“:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068702[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Compare on the other hand the supposedly genuine Sestertii which do show the „trophy“: </p><p><br /></p><p>2) Doesn´t the reverse of the specimen in the British Museum (which is most often referenced for this type) look tooled to you?</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068719[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>3) This coin here looks to be from the same pair of dies and was sold as genuine, but... </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068705[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>4) ... this very similar piece here was sold as a Cavino-type aftercast by CNG:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068700[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>5) The specimen from the Harward Art Museum is from another pair of dies:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068716[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>6) ... that look very much like those used for this specimen (sold as genuine):</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068717[/ATTACH] </p><p>7) ... but on the other hand also like this one which again was sold as a a „Paduan“:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068701[/ATTACH]</p><p>8) This coin here (from a third pair of dies) is supposed to show the trophy but you can´t make out anything:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068718[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>9) This here is from the same pair of dies as Nr. 8, but doesn´t the thing at the end of the stick look more like an eagle???</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1068703[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>So what do you think? Does this make any sense???[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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