Vespasian AR Denarius 76 CE 'O' Mint

Vespasian (69 - 79 A.D.) silver denarius.

Unknown ‘o’ mint Ephesus?, (‘O’ beneath bust in obverse.

76 A.D.

19mm., 3,00g Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right. Rev: FIDES PVBL, hands clasped over caduceus. two poppies and two corn-ears.

Ric 1475 (R) Ex: Savoca 19th Blue Auction Lot 1132 April 20, 2019 (Sold for 61 USD plus fees)

Catawiki auction May 7, 2019 Sold by Lucernae

I just realized today that I had bought this last year and had not uploaded it to this blog. On first sight this does not appear to be a special coin. It is quite worn. The devices appear clearer on the reverse. This coin is special and rare because of the mint. RIC attribute this issue to Uncertain mint of Asia minor. RIC also states that Ephesus is a possibility. Collectors call issues from this mint the 'O' mint denarii. The reason is that there is usually an 'O' under the neck truncation. It is not apparent on this coin, but the combination of the reverse type, obverse legend, and Ephesus like portrait style make it certain that this is one of those denarii.

I now have 3 coins from this mine, 2 for Vespasian and 1 for Domitian (still in the mail). I actively look for these because I find them very interesting. There are also 'O' mint denarii with this reverse type for both Titus and Domitian. I have seen a Titus became available in the last few years but I have only seen one for Domitian in 4 years of collecting.

I am very happy that this one is in my collection and I hope to add more in the future.