DISCOVER HISTORICAL ANCIENT ROMAN COINS

Vespasian AR Denarius. Rome, AD 70. 3.18g, 18mm, 6h. Obv: IMP CAESAR V[ESPASIANV]S AVG, laureate head right Rev: COS ITER TR POT, Pax standing left, holding olive branch and caduceus. RIC 27. RSC 94g Roma Numismatics E-Sale 57 Lot 840 May 30, 2019 This is a very early coin of Vespasian. The reason I wanted it concerns the portrait on the obverse. Notice that this portrait does not look like Vespasian at all. In fact it looks very much like his predecessor Vitellius. This is one of the most Vitellian portraits of Vespasian I have ever seen and that made this coin a must buy. The early Denarii of Vespasian were struck before the celators had a model of Vespasian to work from. They therefore ha

Domitian AR Denarius 81 CE 2.9 g Obv: Head laureate r; IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PM Rev: Minerva adv r with spear and shield; COS VII DES VIII PP RIC 28 (R2) At first glance this might seem like any regular coin of Domitian featuring Minerva on the reverse. However, this coin is special for when it was struck. It was minted in the first few months of Domitian's rule as Augustus. It is a part of what RIC calls group 3 denarii of 81 CE. Group 2 denarii are all very rare coins. Group 3 denarii are close to being as rare as group 2 coins. What separates these issues is the reverse legend. In the case of Group 2 denarii the reverse legends begins with PP. In the case of Group 3 denarii the reverse

Roman empire - Domitian (81-96 AD.) silver denarius (2.87 g 18 mm). Rome. 81 AD Obv: IMP CAES DOMITANVS AVG PONT, laureate head right Rev: TR P COS VII DES VIII P P, seat, draped, above, a winged thunderbolt placed horizontally. RIC II 40. (R2) Purchased from Lucernae on Catawiki auctions May 2019 Yes, I know the coin is worn, but I still wanted it. Why would I accept such a coin? The reason is that it is so rare that I might never see another in my lifetime available for sale. Sometime one has to sacrifice condition to availability. Such is the case here. The reason this coin is so rare because of the obverse legend. Note that the legend does not end in the customary "AVG PM" common on

Titus AR Denarius 79 after July 1 18 mm 3.16 g Obv: Head laureate l; IMP TITUS CAES VESPASIAN AVG PM Rev: Venus stg r leaning on column, with helmet and spear; TR P VIIII IMP XIIII COS VII PP RIC 35 (R) BMC 11 Purchase from Silbury Coins April 23, 2019 Though not all left facing Titus denarii are rare, it is a good idea to grab them when you you see them. The left facing denarii for Titus are not as rare as those of Domitian. As far as i know there has never been a satisfactory explanation for this. This coin happens to be one of the rare examples. However, I was also interested in this coin because of the reverse. I have wanted a Venus reverse for Titus for some time. I find the image inter

Vespasian AR Denarius 76 CE Rome Obv: Head laureate left; IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG Rev:Jupiter standing facing with patera over altar, IOVIS CUSTOS RIC 850 (R2) Rudnik Numismatics, May 10, 2019 The Iovis Custos reverse is not a rare coin. However, there are exceptions, including the above coin. The left facing bust of Vespasian makes this a rare coin. However, as a friend has pointed out the R2 rating (very few known) assigned by RIC is not accurate. There are a few of these around and they can be found with enough persistence and patience. On the other hand, this reverse for Titus does indeed seem to be quite a rare coin. (You can see my example of this coin elsewhere on this blog.) What

Galba, 68-69 Denarius Tarraco (?) April to late 68, AR 19mm., 3.33g. Obv: SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG PM TR P; Laureate head r. Rev. SPQR / OB / C-S within oak wreath. C 288. RIC 62.(R2) From the M.J. Collection. Ex: Naville Numismatics Live auction 49 Lot 439 May 12, 2019. Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database The portrait is the reason I bought this coin. The coinage of Galba contains some of the most interesting portraits on Roman Imperial coins. This is particularly true of the Spanish mint denarii of Galba. These portraits have been called ugly, strange, unusual and bizarre and I cannot disagree with any of these descriptors. In addition I find them interesting as well. In fact the