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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;David Atherton, post: 2523723, member: 82616&quot;]Over the past couple of weeks I&#039;ve been enjoying ITV&#039;s <i>Grantchester </i>detective series, so it&#039;s only fitting that my recent acquisition required a bit of sleuthing to attribute.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]538472[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Vespasian</b></p><p>AR Denarius, 3.20g</p><p>Ephesus Mint, 70 AD</p><p>RIC 1418 (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; Heads of Titus, bare, r., and Domitian, bare, l., confronting; BY in r. field (on its side, obscured)</p><p><br /></p><p>The confronting heads of Titus and Domitian is one of the rarest reverse type struck at Ephesus for Vespasian. RIC lists this extremely rare variant with mintmark sideways in right field as &#039;unique&#039;. The mintmark on my coin is obscured, so the hunt was on to locate a reverse die match that would hopefully show which mintmark the die originally had. The COS II dated coins at Ephesus have one of two two marks: horizontal Φ and BY. Luckily, I was able to find a match - Lanz 128, 22 May 2006, lot 322, which showed the BY mintmark, confirming my coin&#039;s attribution. Since the publication of the new RIC, I have identified 4 specimens of this extremely rare variant with the sideways mark, all from the same reverse die. Also, take note of the unusual break in the reverse legend: V - ESPAS.</p><p><br /></p><p>As you can tell, I really do love these Ephesian denarii![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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