David Atherton Posted May 24, 2023 · Member Share Posted May 24, 2023 (edited) Well, perhaps not that fast, but it didn't take long for me to figure out the seller's attribution was in error and the coin was actually an extremely rare variety. It was erroneously attributed to the COS IIII issue, which would have made it a very common coin. VespasianÆ Dupondius, 13.16g Lyon mint, 71 AD Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIANVS AVG COS III; Head of Vespasian, radiate, r. Rev: PAX AVG; S C in field; Pax stg. l., with patera over altar and branch and caduceus RIC 1142 (R2). BMC -. BNC -. Acquired from London Ancient Coins, May 2023. 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. This is the rare 'VESPASIANVS' obverse legend variety of the type unique to this issue. Missing from both the BM and Paris collections. In hand. As always, thank you for looking! Edited May 24, 2023 by David Atherton 16 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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