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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;David Atherton, post: 2541390, member: 82616&quot;]For a few brief years early in Vespasian&#039;s reign, Ephesus struck a small series of denarii. The reasons why this city struck imperial silver remain a mystery, but it is in perfect keeping with the general picture of early Flavian coinage just after the Civil War with several provincial mints coining imperial issues. It is also unknown why the Ephesian mint employed mint marks on their denarii. The marks themselves are a distinguishing feature and unique to this mint. Compared to Rome, these Ephesian issues were quite small and are fairly rare today. Style wise they are superb.</p><p><br /></p><p>My latest addition is a rare beauty and thanks to Hirsch speedily shipping one day after the invoice was paid, I can now share it.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]544707[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Vespasian</b></p><p>AR Denarius, 3.40g</p><p>Ephesus Mint, 70 AD</p><p>RIC 1420 (R3), BMC -, RSC -, RPC -</p><p>Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPAS AVG COS II TR P P P; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.</p><p>Rev: LIBERI IMP AVG VESPAS; Titus and Domitian, togate, veiled, standing l., each holding patera in r. hand, l. hands at sides; in exergue, BY</p><p>Ex Hirsch 323, 22 September 2016, lot 2390.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is an extremely rare Ephesus Group 4 denarius. When the new edition of RIC II was published in 2007 only one specimen was known of this dynastic type with mint mark in exergue. Since its publication, several other examples have come to light in addition to mine, bringing the total number of specimens to around a dozen. RIC makes a distinction between two different mint mark placings for this type: in exergue, as seen here, and between T &amp; D.</p><p><br /></p><p>Struck in fine style with hints of gunmetal toning.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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