Does this look right? Thanks Vespasian AE Dupondius. Lyons mint, 71 AD. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III(there may be another I but its hard to tell), radiate head right, small globe at point of bust / FORTVNAE REDVCI S-C, Fortuna standing left, holding branch, rudder set on globe & cornucopiae.
It seems to be the bust of Vespasian alright. I thought at first maybe Titus, but the facial features are different.
I got it listed as Vespasian, but I thought the same thing. I can make SIAN AVG COS III. I rinsed it off and can make out a lil more detail so ill try and get some more pics.
what can I say, I like the vintage look :goofer: and the window gets even more traffic now with some ferral cats that decided to move in :rolling:
The face looks like Vespasian and he is known to have issued the type while Titus did not. I suspect the COS date may be VIII. The conventional wisdom separator for coins of father and son is that Titus always used T or TITVS in the legend while Vespasian never did. I can't tell from the photo but if you are sure there is no T between IMP and CAES, there is no question it is a coin of Vespasian. Sometimes a coin with surfaces like this can be read more easily if you press in into a thin sheet of aluminum foil and see if the legends can be read from the impression more easily than from the coin itself.
Years ago I recall buying the cheapest foil possible for the purpose because it was thinner. Also, you can make plaster casts to accomplish the same thing but they require a little practice. Curtis Clay posted step by step instructions on this: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=29974.0 He mentions using spirits to avoid bubbles. I found a commercial craft store product called Airid that worked well for this but I bought my last bottle 15 years ago (you use so little that it lasts a long, long time). http://store.plastercrafters.com/aimosp8oz.html
thanks. I've tried something similar with polymer clay and foil too, I wrap the coin in foil and press the clay on one side then slip out the coin, then I can bake it and use it as a mold. then press more clay in the mold and pop it out (pam or oil helps get it out) then bake it, and when its done rub ink on the top to see the image more clearly. It looks similar to a coin with desert patina. Olny it takes too long lol. Another thing I try to do is just wrap the coin in paper and lightly go over it with a pencil.