Titus AR Denarius

Titus AR Denarius 79 CE after July 1

(18.56mm 3.14g)

Obv: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, Laureate head left. Rev: TR P VIIII IMP XIIII COS VII P P, Capricorn left; globus below. RIC 20 (R2), BMC p. 227 note, RSC 282

Ex: ANE Store on Vcoins (Sveto)

Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database.

Here is another coin you will not see everyday. One sees the capricorn reverse with great regularity among the coins of Titus and Vespasian so it is no wonder that a coin like this would be overlooked. It is important to notice the details with issues like this if one wants to spot a rarity. I have seen exactly 2 of these come to market in 5 years and this coin is one of them.What makes this coin rare is the left facing portrait. Left facing portraits do occur with some frequency among the denarii of Titus but some of them are incredibly rare. If you see a left facing denarius of any of the Flavians it is important to check the references closely.

The capricorn reverse is a throwback to the coins of Augustus. If you check my gallery you will see other examples of Flavian denarii where a reverse of Augustus is reused. This was likely done as propaganda. Augustus was very popular long after his death. Reusing the reverse types was a way of legitimizing Flavian rule. In essence it was way of saying happy days are here again.

The portrait here is very Vespasian like. There are a few hints of Titus as well but one could be forgiving if they believed that this was the father instead of the son. I am extremely happy to have this coin in my collection.