David Atherton

Are these NGC coloured cores unique to VaultBox? If so, why?

Who? Is he a mystery box dealer?

Another rare middle bronze to share - this time a newly discovered dupondius possibly struck in Thrace under Titus. Admittedly it's a bit worn, but has honest surfaces. It's what I'd call 'eye-appealing wear'. Titus Æ Dupondius, 12.03g Eastern Mint (Thrace?), 80-81 AD Obv: IMP T CAESAR DIVI VESP F AVG P M; Head of Titus, radiate, bearded, r. Rev: ROMA; S C in exergue; Roma std. l. on cuirass, with wreath and parazonium RIC 503A (R2). BMC -. RPC -. BNC -. Ex Harlan J Berk BBS 225, 30 November 2023, lot 96. Ex Curtis Clay Collection. Ex Savoca Blue E9, 15 July 2018, lot 965. A mystery mint struck coins for Titus sometime between 80-81. The style (heavily seriffed letters, large portraits, and massive reverse figures), unique obverse legends, and uncommon fabric (flat, almost convex flans) all suggest a mint other than Rome. Attributing exactly where these coins were struck has historically been a moving target - Mattingly in BMCRE thought Lugdunum, H.A. Cahn believed somewhere in Bithynia. More recent scholarship has looked towards Thrace as a possible location for production based on the Balkan distribution pattern of found specimens. Although the region of mintage has been narrowed down, the city itself remains elusive. RPC has suggested possibly Perinthus. Presumably a shortage of bronze coins in the region during Titus' reign prompted a localised imperial issue. The striking of imperial bronze outside of Rome was an exceptional step at the time considering the last imperial branch mint at Lugdunum had shuttered late in Vespasian's reign. The issue consisted of sestertii, dupondii, asses, and semisses which copied types struck at Rome. This rare dupondius features a variant obverse legend previously unattested at this mint. A recent discovery, just two specimens are cited by the RIC II.1 Addenda, Curtis Clay had two others ... so possibly only four known. Clay proposes his two former specimens, which share an obverse die, were struck at a separate eastern mint rather than the 'Thracian' one. In hand. Here is the 'standard' ROMA type from the Thracian mint. Titus Æ Dupondius, 12.49g Eastern Mint (Thrace?), 80-81 AD Obv: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII; Head of Titus, radiate, bearded, r. Rev: ROMA; S C in exergue; Roma std. l. on cuirass, with wreath and parazonium RIC 503 (R). BMC 314. RPC 507. BNC 325. Acquired from eBay, April 2019. Formerly in NGC holder 4680932-001, grade 'XF', strike 5/5, surface 3/5. As always, thank you for looking!

I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. I have a keen interest in RR coinage, mainly because of its later relation to Flavian era coinage, so this was a treat to read!

I'd leave the coin alone and keep an eye on it. From the photo I don't see any overt signs of BD ... but an unfriendly environment could trigger it.

According to the Barrington Atlas it certainly appears to have been a hub of some importance.

You know you're 'off the beaten path' when you have to pull out the Barrington Atlas to find the city! Titus as Caesar [Vespasian] Æ19, 3.92g Dorylaeum (Phrygia) mint, before 79 AD, Ti. Catius Silius Italicus proconsul Obv: ΤΙΤΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ; Head of Titus, laureate, r. Rev: ΙΤΑΛΙΚΩ ΑΝΘΥΠΑΤΩ ΔΟΡΥΛΑΕΩΝ; Zeus std. l., holding thunderbolt and sceptre RPC 1413 (8 spec.). Acquired from collectamoneta, eBay, January 2024. Dorylaeum first struck coins under Vespasian during the proconsulship of Ti. Catius Silius Italicus sometime before 79. Two denominations are known - 24 mm for Vespasian and 19 mm for Titus Caesar. Qualitative metal analysis shows them to be brass. A local civic issue that is somewhat scarce today. Do any of you have a coin from Dorylaeum? Thank you for looking!

Thanks! The old avatar reminded me too much of Hershey who passed away recently. He will be missed.

As a specialist, unpublished coins are the bee's knees and so very satisfying to collect ... my latest addition is just such a piece. It's unique, unpublished, and has an appealing portrait to boot! Vespasian Æ Dupondius, 12.58g Lyon mint, 71 AD Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIAN AVG COS III; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: PAX AVG; S C in field; Pax stg. l., with patera over altar and branch and caduceus RIC 1144 var. (Radiate portrait). BMC -. BNC 803 var. (same). Ex Harlan J Berk BBS 225, 30 November 2023, lot 88. Ex Curtis Clay Collection. Ex roman-num, eBay, 19 June 2011. An early Pax type struck in 71 unique to the Lyon mint. H. Mattingly in BMCRE writes 'The type of Pax sacrificing, which is peculiar to Lugdunum, conveys the thought of thanksgiving for peace and prosperity (cp. the caduceus held by Pax) restored.' At Rome a similar reverse was produced sans altar. The propaganda value of Pax for the new Flavian dynasty after the Civil War and Jewish Rebellion cannot be underestimated. Unique with laureate portrait, RIC records this variety only with a radiate bust. Same obverse die as BNC 801. In hand. As always, thank you for looking and watching!

That is indeed a stand out portrait! Congrats! BTW, that is my favourite standard Minerva type struck for Domitian. Neat little fact, it's unique to his reign!

I can't blame the seller for the misattribution of this Domitian Caesar dupondius, apparently it's a pretty common mistake. This specimen, and its shared obverse die counterparts, has routinely been misattributed as 'COS II' or sometimes 'COS III' by various prestigious auction houses and dealers over the years. Instead, what we have here is a rare 'COS IV' variety! Domitian as Caesar [Vespasian] Æ Dupondius, 13.42g Rome mint, 76-77 AD Obv: CAESAR AVG F DOMITIAN COS IV; Bust of Domitian, laureate, draped, bearded, r. Rev: FELICITAS PVBLICA; S C in field; Felicitas stg. l., with caduceus and cornucopiae RIC 928 (R2). BMC -. BNC -. Acquired from Aegean, January 2024. Ex Ephesus Numismatics. Domitian as Caesar's dupondii under Vespasian are typically laureate instead of radiate and can be differentiated from the asses by the draped busts and metal content (yellowish orichalcum). The Felicitas on the reverse symbolises the prosperity and abundance the Flavian dynasty has brought to the empire. This rare variety with the COS date rendered as 'IV' instead of the much more commonly seen 'IIII' is missing from both the BM and Paris collections. RIC cites only 2 examples - one from a 1980 Lanz sale, the other from a private collection. An obverse die match with the RIC plate coin. In hand. Thank you for looking!

No, I'm fine with it as is.

That's a solid example! Stylish portrait on a good flan and well centred, what more could you ask for? Although it can't be proved decisively one way or the other, I'm inclined to believe this is a Judaea Capta type. That would coincide with the Judaea Capta theme advertised on Titus' bronze coinage.

I picked this one rather cheaply from eBay last month. I thought it a neat little rarity for the price. Vespasian Æ Dupondius, 11.24g Rome mint, 75 AD Obv: IMP CAES VESP AVG COS VI; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: VESTA in exergue; S C in field; Vesta std. l., with patera and palladium RIC 820 (R2). BMC 714A. BNC -. Acquired from eBay, DK-Aureus Numismatics, January 2024. It's not unusual for the Rome mint to strike coin types that conjure up feelings of familiarity and continuance. Vesta is certainly one of those types and Vespasian's moneyers made full use of her propaganda value. She frequently appears on the coinage with her message of religious piety and security. Her main attribute here is the palladium - a wooden cult image of Pallas Athena which oversees the safety and well being of Rome. This is a decently scarce variety, missing from Paris and rated 'very rare' in RIC. In hand. As always, thanks for looking!

Sorry to hear that Donna. Appropriate prayers to Salus! Get well soon!

Recently, there has been a small influx of Flavian brass coins provisionally attributed to 'Ephesus' appearing in the marketplace. I would assume a hoard or two has been discovered and is now being dispersed. Prior to this, these eastern bronzes were fantastically rare, hardly showing up in trade or in most major collections. Whenever I come across one I try to scoop it up as best I can. It certainly helps that many of them are misattributed, owing to the fact that they often copy reverse designs from contemporary imperial mints and are confused with those more common varieties. Vespasian Æ20, 3.89g Ephesus (?) mint, 77-78 AD Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIAN AVGVST; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: PON MAX TR P P P COS VIII CENS; S C in field; Victory adv. l., with shield RIC 1507 (R2). BMC -. BNC -. RPC 1477 (0 spec.). Ex Numismad Auction 12, 5-6 January 2024, lot 817. Late in Vespasian's reign a rare series of orichalcum bronze coins were struck in Asia Minor at an unknown mint. Although imperial in appearance, the style, weight system, and metal used all point to a mint other than Rome. Due to their extreme rarity today, they could not have been struck for any great length of time (the date cannot be narrowed down any further than Vespasian's COS VIII, 77-78 AD). The types consist of ones variously copied from either Rome or Lugdunum (such as this Victory type) or local provincial issues. A stylistic similarity with the earlier 'o' mint denarii possibly struck at Ephesus has been noted by both RIC and RPC. The entire issue is very rarely encountered in trade. This particular Victory variety is missing from all the major collections. My assumption is that a smaller piece like this did not have wide circulation beyond the region of mintage. Orichalcum was not used for such small bronze denominations at Rome and would have been a baffling coin to your average Roman pleb. In hand. For comparison, here is a dupondius from Lugdunum featuring the same reverse type. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=155849 As always, thank you for looking!

ISC NY is hit and miss when it comes to parcel processing times. Sometimes it's only a few hours, sometimes a few weeks ... there really is no rhyme or reason to it. The longest I've waited for a package going through NY was 6 or 7 weeks - and when it arrived it was sealed with the dreaded green customs tape. So, the USPS wasn't at fault. Hang in there. 🙏

I don't have a traditional "Tribute Penny", BUT, I do have this Vespasian denarius which copies that famous type struck for Tiberius. Vespasian AR Denarius, 3.50g Rome mint, 73 AD Obv: IMP CAES VESP AVG CENS; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: PONTIF MAXIM; Vespasian, togate, seated r., feet on stool, holding vertical sceptre in r. hand and branch in l. RIC 546 (C3). BMC 98. RSC 387. BNC 86. Acquired from Pars Coins, March 2004.

It's definitely on the lower end. I have another Spanish as that weighs nearly 12g! Weight standards must've been lacking at Tarraco.

I recently added yet another ex Curtis Clay coin to the collection. This one is a doggedly rare Spanish issue, notably cited by RIC. Vespasian Æ As, 6.39g Tarraco (?) mint, 70 AD Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG P M TR P; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: COS ITER TR POT; S C in field; Aequitas stg. l. with scales and rod RIC 1335 (R2, this coin cited). BMC -. BNC -. Ex Harlan J Berk BBS 225, 30 November 2023, lot 86. Ex Curtis Clay Collection. Ex Antioch Associates BBS 40, 29 July 2002, lot 109. Spain declared for Vespasian late in 69 after the second battle of Cremona in October. Spanish mints immediately began striking coinage in all metals for Vespasian, with perhaps Tarraco being the primary mint of the province. The early aes coinage copied many of the reverse designs seen on the precious metals at Rome, as is the case with this Aequitas type. All the coins from the issue are quite rare indicating they were not struck for any length of time, perhaps only to address a shortage of bronze coinage in the region. This specimen is cited in RIC from the Clay collection. In hand. These Flavian Spanish issues are extremely rare in trade and missing from most major collections. I was very pleased to have picked this one up! Here's a contemporaneous Rome mint denarius featuring the same reverse type and legend. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=135673 As always, thank you for looking.

I initially was attracted to my latest coin by the stellar portrait. The style is very idealised, one could almost say 'Flavian Baroque'. The reverse is of some interest too, a Jupiter type one doesn't see very often on Domitian's coinage. Domitian Æ As, 11.64g Rome mint, 85 AD Obv: IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG GERM COS XI; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r., with aegis Rev: IOVI CONSERVAT; S C in field; Jupiter stg. l., with thunderbolt and sceptre RIC 302 (C). BMC 315A. BNC 336. Ex Originalskincoins, eBay, January 2024. Domitian's bronze mint after a brief hiatus in 83 returned the following year with a slate of new reverse designs. This relatively scarce type showing a standing Jupiter appears for the first time on the asses in 84. It would later be discontinued after 86. With the legend IOVI CONSERVAT, it symbolises the god as Domitian's divine protector. Although rated as 'common' in RIC, this variety of the type struck in 85 is not often encountered in trade. The portrait is a fine example of the Rome mint's superb mid-period Domitianic style. In hand As always, thank you for looking!

I've had coins sit in customs/ISC much longer than that. But if you're curious about what's going on with your package and possibly grease the wheels, call USPS consumer affairs for the state it's stuck in. BTW, is there a post missing in this thread? I don't see any advice @Hrefn may have offered.

It's probably appropriate this late in the evening to show a coin which is supposed to have an 🦉 but does not! Domitian AR Denarius, 3.10g Rome mint, 95-96 AD Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P XV; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: IMP XXII COS XVII CENS P P P; Minerva stg. r. on capital of rostral column, with spear and shield (M2, missing owl) RIC 788 var. (owl on prow). BMC 231 var. (same). RSC 293 var. (same). BNC 207 var. (same). Ex Private Collection. An unusual example of the standard Minerva on capital of rostral column lacking the owl, which should be at her feet to the right. Not long after this coin was struck Domitian fell victim to a palace plot. I wonder if Domiitan had seen this coin would he have taken it as an ill omen?

I think I got this one for a good price - under $200 with shipping. For a coin missing from most collections I thought it a bargain! Titus Æ Dupondius, 10.39g Rome mint, 80-81 AD Obv: IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P COS VIII; Head of Titus, radiate, bearded, l. Rev: PAX AVGVST; S C in field; Pax stg. l., with branch and cornucopiae RIC 200 (R2). BMC -. BNC -. Acquired from Lukas Kalchhauser, December 2023. The various stock Pax types struck for Titus are carry-overs from Vespasian's reign and are normally seen on Titus' sestertii and asses. This is a rare variety of the standing Pax type struck for the dupondii. She is seen here holding a cornucopiae instead of the much more common caduceus. The left facing portrait variant is much scarcer than the right facing variety. Missing from both the BM and Paris collections. In hand. As always, thank you for looking and watching!

Cool coin, glad you got it!