Taking things up a notch

[CPK]

The past several months I've been working at shifting my collection from 'lots of average coins' to 'fewer coins but of higher quality'. Part of that has involved selling off a lot of coins to free up funds for new purchases, and there's still a bunch more I want to move on.

In the meantime, I've greatly enjoyed being able to spend a bit more per coin and being a bit more discriminating in what I purchase.

Like many people I am drawn to the fine portrait artistry on Roman coins, so I've been building a small collection of portrait denarii, prioritizing eye appeal - artistic style, top condition, quality of strike, and toning. Of secondary importance is good full weight, rarity of type, interesting provenance, etc. The goal is to buy the very best I can afford - which naturally varies somewhat by emperor. Needless to say, I won't be able to acquire them all.

My rule is one per emperor, so if I want to upgrade I will have to sell the current coin. Hopefully that will keep it manageable and affordable. I also am trying to keep it to lifetime coins as Augustus, so no 'DIVVS' or coins as Caesar.

So far I am content with my representations of Augustus, Tiberius, Antoninus Pius, and Septimius Severus. I've posted all those before and I won't bother with them again here. 

But more recently, I was thrilled to acquire this beautiful denarius of Titus. Not only does it have great 'eye appeal', but it's also a somewhat rare and historically significant reverse type:

TITUS, AD 79-81
AR Denarius (18.54mm, 3.34g, 6h)
Struck September-December, AD 79. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, laureate head of Titus right
Reverse: TR P VIIII IMP XV COS VII P P, bound captive kneeling under trophy of arms and armor
References: RIC II 49, RCV 2511 var. (obv. leg.)
A choice specimen, sharply struck with a superb portrait.
"The reverse type refers either to the victory in Judaea or, alternatively, may be associated with the activities in northern Britain of the celebrated governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola, father-in-law of the historian Tacitus." - David R. Sear (Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. I, p. 465)

 

Being able to afford coins like this takes the hobby to a whole new level for me. I will be posting more later on, so stay tuned. 😉

 

Edited February 28 by CPK

[Roman Collector]

That's a beautiful denarius, @CPK! A lot more interesting reverse type than this one in my numophylacium, for sure!

[David Atherton]

1 hour ago, CPK said:

The past several months I've been working at shifting my collection from 'lots of average coins' to 'fewer coins but of higher quality'. Part of that has involved selling off a lot of coins to free up funds for new purchases, and there's still a bunch more I want to move on.

In the meantime, I've greatly enjoyed being able to spend a bit more per coin and being a bit more discriminating in what I purchase.

Like many people I am drawn to the fine portrait artistry on Roman coins, so I've been building a small collection of portrait denarii, prioritizing eye appeal - artistic style, top condition, quality of strike, and toning. Of secondary importance is good full weight, rarity of type, interesting provenance, etc. The goal is to buy the very best I can afford - which naturally varies somewhat by emperor. Needless to say, I won't be able to acquire them all.

My rule is one per emperor, so if I want to upgrade I will have to sell the current coin. Hopefully that will keep it manageable and affordable. I also am trying to keep it to lifetime coins as Augustus, so no 'DIVVS' or coins as Caesar.

So far I am content with my representations of Augustus, Tiberius, Antoninus Pius, and Septimius Severus. I've posted all those before and I won't bother with them again here. 

But more recently, I was thrilled to acquire this beautiful denarius of Titus. Not only does it have great 'eye appeal', but it's also a somewhat rare and historically significant reverse type:

TITUS, AD 79-81
AR Denarius (18.54mm, 3.34g, 6h)
Struck September-December, AD 79. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, laureate head of Titus right
Reverse: TR P VIIII IMP XV COS VII P P, bound captive kneeling under trophy of arms and armor
References: RIC II 49, RCV 2511 var. (obv. leg.)
A choice specimen, sharply struck with a superb portrait.
"The reverse type refers either to the victory in Judaea or, alternatively, may be associated with the activities in northern Britain of the celebrated governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola, father-in-law of the historian Tacitus." - David R. Sear (Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. I, p. 465)

 

Being able to afford coins like this takes the hobby to a whole new level for me. I will be posting more later on, so stay tuned. 😉

 

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.

[Qcumbor]

Wow !

Excellent. You're a wise man @CPK, I wish I were able to downsize my collection and focus on less, but better. 

Anyway, talking of Judaea Capta, last december, @Curtisimo and I decided we would have a private Saturnalia exchange, and unsurprisingly the great Man gifted me with the following Vespasian (I am still astounded by such generosity)

Vespasian, Denarius - Rome mint, 69-70 CE
IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right
Captive Jewess seated right, hands tied before, trophy of captured arms behind, IVDAEA in ex.
3.22 gr - 14x17 mm - 5 h
Ref : RIC II # 2, RSC # 226, RCV # 2296

This coin belongs to the very sought after Judaea Capta series, minted 69-71 CE

Q

Edited February 27 by Qcumbor

[JeandAcre]

Wow.  Sounds like @Curtisimo hit the karma jackpot.  Terrific example(s).

[CPK]

9 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

That's a beautiful denarius, @CPK! A lot more interesting reverse type than this one in my numophylacium, for sure!

Thanks! But you're too hard on your coin. That's an interesting and less-common reverse type as well!

8 hours ago, David Atherton said:

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.

Thanks! Yes I would be more of that opinion myself. The Flavians never tired of boasting about the Judaean victory.

4 hours ago, Qcumbor said:

Wow !

Excellent. You're a wise man @CPK, I wish I were able to downsize my collection and focus on less, but better. 

Anyway, talking of Judaea Capta, last december, @Curtisimo and I decided we would have a private Saturnalia exchange, and unsurprisingly the great Man gifted me with the following Vespasian (I am still astounded by such generosity)

Vespasian, Denarius - Rome mint, 69-70 CE
IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right
Captive Jewess seated right, hands tied before, trophy of captured arms behind, IVDAEA in ex.
3.22 gr - 14x17 mm - 5 h
Ref : RIC II # 2, RSC # 226, RCV # 2296

This coin belongs to the very sought after Judaea Capta series, minted 69-71 CE

Q

Thanks @Qcumbor! That is a fabulous gift coin, indeed!

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I think that's a good plan.  Congratulations are in order for picking up such a nice example!

[CPK]

Thanks @Nerosmyfavorite68!

Here is another one of my new 'quality' acquisitions - perhaps not quite as eye-catching as the Titus denarius, but still quite nice. I especially like the portrait style, which seems to be of a more individual and artistic style than the standard Domitian portrait. The reverse is nice as well - I like the little owl - and it is struck on a full weight, quality flan.

DOMITIAN, AD 81-96
AR Denarius (19.29mm, 3.53g, 6h)
Struck AD 88-89. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII, laureate head of Domitian right
Reverse: IMP XVII COS XIIII CENS PPP, Minerva standing right on top of rostral column, holding spear and shield; owl to lower right
References: RIC II 657 (R)
A rare type, well-struck on good metal with light toning. An excellent portrait of Domitian in fine style.

It also so happens to be a rare (R) type. If I may quote @David Atherton:

"Domitian did not take the consulship in 89, so this rare denarius is dated by TR P VIII between September 88 and September 89. The date can be further narrowed down by the 17th imperial acclamation. A military diploma dated 7 November, 88 records Domitian as IMP XVII, so this issue must have been struck briefly at the end of 88, perhaps just a month or so due to the rarity of the acclamation number on the denarii and the fact they were being awarded at a fairly rapid pace due to increased military activity along the Danube."  - Image search results - "domitian ric 657" - RIC 657 Domitian - Classical Numismatics Discussion - Members' Coin Gallery (forumancientcoins.com)

Edited February 28 by CPK

[kirispupis]

52 minutes ago, CPK said:

Here is another one of my new 'quality' acquisitions - perhaps not quite as eye-catching as the Titus denarius, but still quite nice. I especially like the portrait style, which seems to be of a more individual and artistic style than the standard Domitian portrait. The reverse is nice as well - I like the little owl - and it is struck on a full weight, quality flan.

 

DOMITIAN, AD 81-96
AR Denarius (19.29mm, 3.53g, 6h)
Struck AD 88-89. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII, laureate head of Domitian right
Reverse: IMP XVII COS XIIII CENS PPP, Minerva standing right on top of rostral column, holding spear and shield; owl to lower right
References: RIC II 657 (R)
A rare type, well-struck on good metal with light toning. An excellent portrait of Domitian in fine style.

 

Nice pickup! I only have one denarius of Domitian, but it's a very similar type. 🙂 

Domitian
AR Denarius 3.30g, 18mm, 6h.
Rome, 90 CE
IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIIII, laureate head to right
IMP XXI COS XV CENS P P P, Minerva standing facing, head to right on rostral column, brandishing spear and shield, owl at her feet
RIC II.2 690; BMCRE 166; RSC 262
Ex Vitangelo Collection

[David Atherton]

2 hours ago, CPK said:

Thanks @Nerosmyfavorite68!

Here is another one of my new 'quality' acquisitions - perhaps not quite as eye-catching as the Titus denarius, but still quite nice. I especially like the portrait style, which seems to be of a more individual and artistic style than the standard Domitian portrait. The reverse is nice as well - I like the little owl - and it is struck on a full weight, quality flan.

DOMITIAN, AD 81-96
AR Denarius (19.29mm, 3.53g, 6h)
Struck AD 88-89. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII, laureate head of Domitian right
Reverse: IMP XVII COS XIIII CENS PPP, Minerva standing right on top of rostral column, holding spear and shield; owl to lower right
References: RIC II 657 (R)
A rare type, well-struck on good metal with light toning. An excellent portrait of Domitian in fine style.

It also so happens to be a rare (R) type. If I may quote @David Atherton:

"Domitian did not take the consulship in 89, so this rare denarius is dated by TR P VIII between September 88 and September 89. The date can be further narrowed down by the 17th imperial acclamation. A military diploma dated 7 November, 88 records Domitian as IMP XVII, so this issue must have been struck briefly at the end of 88, perhaps just a month or so due to the rarity of the acclamation number on the denarii and the fact they were being awarded at a fairly rapid pace due to increased military activity along the Danube."  - Image search results - "domitian ric 657" - RIC 657 Domitian - Classical Numismatics Discussion - Members' Coin Gallery (forumancientcoins.com)

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!

Edited February 29 by David Atherton

[Sulla80]

On 2/27/2024 at 8:01 AM, CPK said:

The past several months I've been working at shifting my collection from 'lots of average coins' to 'fewer coins but of higher quality'. Part of that has involved selling off a lot of coins to free up funds for new purchases, and there's still a bunch more I want to move on.

In the meantime, I've greatly enjoyed being able to spend a bit more per coin and being a bit more discriminating in what I purchase.

Like many people I am drawn to the fine portrait artistry on Roman coins, so I've been building a small collection of portrait denarii, prioritizing eye appeal - artistic style, top condition, quality of strike, and toning. Of secondary importance is good full weight, rarity of type, interesting provenance, etc. The goal is to buy the very best I can afford - which naturally varies somewhat by emperor. Needless to say, I won't be able to acquire them all.

My rule is one per emperor, so if I want to upgrade I will have to sell the current coin. Hopefully that will keep it manageable and affordable. I also am trying to keep it to lifetime coins as Augustus, so no 'DIVVS' or coins as Caesar.

So far I am content with my representations of Augustus, Tiberius, Antoninus Pius, and Septimius Severus. I've posted all those before and I won't bother with them again here. 

But more recently, I was thrilled to acquire this beautiful denarius of Titus. Not only does it have great 'eye appeal', but it's also a somewhat rare and historically significant reverse type:

TITUS, AD 79-81
AR Denarius (18.54mm, 3.34g, 6h)
Struck September-December, AD 79. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, laureate head of Titus right
Reverse: TR P VIIII IMP XV COS VII P P, bound captive kneeling under trophy of arms and armor
References: RIC II 49, RCV 2511 var. (obv. leg.)
A choice specimen, sharply struck with a superb portrait.
"The reverse type refers either to the victory in Judaea or, alternatively, may be associated with the activities in northern Britain of the celebrated governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola, father-in-law of the historian Tacitus." - David R. Sear (Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. I, p. 465)

 

Being able to afford coins like this takes the hobby to a whole new level for me. I will be posting more later on, so stay tuned. 😉

 

I like the classic style of your Titus - imitating the reverse of this coin Crawford 427 from 56 BC where C. Memmius C. f. recalls his uncle, C. Memmius L.f., and victories in Asia Minor (Bithynia & Pontus) with a kneeling captive at the base of a trophy.

Roman Republic, C. Memmius C. f., AR Denarius, Rome, 56 BC

Obv: Head of Ceres to right, wearing wreath of grain ears; C•MEMMI•C•F downwards before

Ref: Naked captive, his hands tied behind his back, kneeling right at foot of trophy of arms with a Greek shield; C•MEMMIVS downwards to right, IMPERATOR downwards to left

Ref: Crawford 427/1; BMCRR Rome 3937; RSC Memmia

 

P.S. love the portrait on your second coin!

Edited February 29 by Sulla80

[CPK]

12 hours ago, kirispupis said:

Nice pickup! I only have one denarius of Domitian, but it's a very similar type. 🙂 

Domitian
AR Denarius 3.30g, 18mm, 6h.
Rome, 90 CE
IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIIII, laureate head to right
IMP XXI COS XV CENS P P P, Minerva standing facing, head to right on rostral column, brandishing spear and shield, owl at her feet
RIC II.2 690; BMCRE 166; RSC 262
Ex Vitangelo Collection

Very nice coin (and photo!) I see it is from the Vitangelo Collection...is it also ex London Ancient Coins, by any chance? I believe my Pompey the Great denarius which I bought from LAC is also from the same collection (came with a little white tag written in Italian.) Never found out terribly much about who "Vitangelo" was but he appeared to have a sizeable collection.

 

11 hours ago, David Atherton said:

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!

Thanks! I didn't know the reverse was unique for Domitian. Interesting!

11 hours ago, Sulla80 said:

I like the classic style of your Titus - imitating the reverse of this coin Crawford 427 from 56 BC where C. Memmius C. f. recalls his uncle, C. Memmius L.f., and victories in Asia Minor (Bithynia & Pontus) with a kneeling captive at the base of a trophy.

Roman Republic, C. Memmius C. f., AR Denarius, Rome, 56 BC

Obv: Head of Ceres to right, wearing wreath of grain ears; C•MEMMI•C•F downwards before

Ref: Naked captive, his hands tied behind his back, kneeling right at foot of trophy of arms with a Greek shield; C•MEMMIVS downwards to right, IMPERATOR downwards to left

Ref: Crawford 427/1; BMCRR Rome 3937; RSC Memmia

 

P.S. love the portrait on your second coin!

Thanks!

Was Titus' use of the reverse type the first since Republican/Imperatorial times?

[Sulla80]

1 minute ago, CPK said:

Was Titus' use of the reverse type the first since Republican/Imperatorial times?

I am not certain, but I think "Yes".  There are later examples as well e.g. this coin that CNG calls a Vespasian  "Judaea Capta" Restitution issue of Trajan.

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5977957

and this Antoninus Pius AV Aureus Indian imitation

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3334199

 

[kirispupis]

2 hours ago, CPK said:

Very nice coin (and photo!) I see it is from the Vitangelo Collection...is it also ex London Ancient Coins, by any chance? I believe my Pompey the Great denarius which I bought from LAC is also from the same collection (came with a little white tag written in Italian.) Never found out terribly much about who "Vitangelo" was but he appeared to have a sizeable collection.

Mine is from Roma. Perhaps they work together at times? I have five coins from the collection, including this one.

Aquilia Severa (second and fourth wife of Elagabalus)
AR Denarius 2.81g, 18mm, 7h.
Rome, 220-222 CE
IVLIA AQVILIA SEVERA AVG, draped bust to right
CONCORDIA, Concordia standing facing, head to left, holding patera over lighted altar and double cornucopiae; star in left field.
RIC IV 225 (Elagabalus); BMCRE 185 (Elagabalus); RSC 2a.
Ex Vitangelo Collection

[CPK]

To complete the Flavian Dynasty, I needed a good Vespasian denarius. But even though I came across a number of possible candidates, none of them really seemed to 'speak' to me, if you know what I mean.

Then I noticed a particularly fine example scheduled to be auctioned off later that month and put it on my watchlist. The bidding stayed pretty low, so I was hopeful of being able to snag it for a decent price. Ha, think again! The evening before the auction was to go live, I decided to make my move - so I placed a bid about double what the current bid was. Not enough. Both my bids and a feeling of desperation kept inching up and up as I tried to top the winning bid.

Sigh. Yes, I finally topped the max bid, but by that point we were both in the stratosphere, almost double what I had previously decided would be my max bid, and it was with feelings of annoyance, guilt, hope, and resignation that I finally closed the web browser and headed for bed.

Well, to make a long story short, my winning bid held - there were no additional bids placed, so I won the coin! But whew. I am afraid I may have overpaid for it, but oh well, it really is one of the finest portrait denarii of Vespasian I've ever seen! Plus, it is a rare type, rated "R" in RIC. So I will now present what might be the best yet in my 'quality' collection:

VESPASIAN, AD 69-79
AR Denarius (18.35mm, 3.26g, 6h)
Struck AD 74. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP CAESAR VESP AVG, laureate head of Vespasian right
Reverse: PONTIF MAXIM around winged caduceus
References: RIC II 686 (R), RCV 2306
Lightly toned and lustrous. A magnificent portrait of Vespasian, and an exemplar of the veristic style of Flavian portraiture.

[AETHER]

It's a beautiful Vespasian, strong portrait. one thing that doesn't bother me about this hobby is overpaying for a coin I like or want. 

Overpaying for food is another matter. 

 

[Qcumbor]

It's a fantastic portrait of Vespasian. Within a few days/weeks/months you will have completely forgotten the money spent and will still appreciate/like your coin.

Now think the other way : coins that you didn't win, or forgot to bid on, or gave up bidding on because by the time of the auction you felt they were already too high for your budget. Got it ? Look at them five years later together with the realized prices. See that ?
I do that sometimes and inevitably call myself names because I now feel prices were right or even cheap back then

In a few words : you did well !!

Q

[ambr0zie]

Both coins you bought are great, CPK. Lively, artistic Flavian portraits. I will not ask how much you paid but I totally echo what Qcumbor said - in a short time you will forget the sum you paid and you will be happy with a strong coin in your collection. 

I admit I usually follow a different path - condition is a secondary factor for me. And yes, I can cherish a coin even if it's worn but sometimes I (slightly) regret some coins I bought, being happy, for the moment, that I save some money and then I realize that I should have bought one good coin instead of 5 very modest ones. 

Currently I am quite annoyed on myself for buying a coin from a less-known emperor and my initial research was that it's an extremely rare coin. The condition is .... well, horrible. I still thought it was a very good deal (not a cheap one) until I noticed that the coin type is common and for that sum I could have bought a decent example. So in my case - wasted money. In your case - certainly not. 

[CPK]

9 hours ago, AETHER said:

It's a beautiful Vespasian, strong portrait. one thing that doesn't bother me about this hobby is overpaying for a coin I like or want. 

Overpaying for food is another matter. 

 

Thanks - I also don't usually mind overpaying a bit, if it's a rare opportunity and I really want it - but in some cases, it might take a little while for the pain to subside. 😉 

6 hours ago, Qcumbor said:

It's a fantastic portrait of Vespasian. Within a few days/weeks/months you will have completely forgotten the money spent and will still appreciate/like your coin.

Now think the other way : coins that you didn't win, or forgot to bid on, or gave up bidding on because by the time of the auction you felt they were already too high for your budget. Got it ? Look at them five years later together with the realized prices. See that ?
I do that sometimes and inevitably call myself names because I now feel prices were right or even cheap back then

In a few words : you did well !!

Q

Thanks! I've definitely experienced the flip-side before of regretting not being more aggressive when I had the chance.

1 hour ago, ambr0zie said:

Both coins you bought are great, CPK. Lively, artistic Flavian portraits. I will not ask how much you paid but I totally echo what Qcumbor said - in a short time you will forget the sum you paid and you will be happy with a strong coin in your collection. 

I admit I usually follow a different path - condition is a secondary factor for me. And yes, I can cherish a coin even if it's worn but sometimes I (slightly) regret some coins I bought, being happy, for the moment, that I save some money and then I realize that I should have bought one good coin instead of 5 very modest ones. 

Currently I am quite annoyed on myself for buying a coin from a less-known emperor and my initial research was that it's an extremely rare coin. The condition is .... well, horrible. I still thought it was a very good deal (not a cheap one) until I noticed that the coin type is common and for that sum I could have bought a decent example. So in my case - wasted money. In your case - certainly not. 

Thanks! I know I will not regret this purchase. And since I have been selling so many coins I was well able to afford it, even though it was pricey!

I still very much appreciate the worn rarities in my collection - and as a matter of fact, I just purchased an AE provincial that is in rather poor shape, but I'm very excited to own!

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

It's another well-presented, beautiful example.  Looks like the new philosophy is working out.

I guess I've 'took things up a notch' compared to the old part of my collection, but I buy for personal enjoyment.  Unless it's a rare or expensive type, I've done fairly well about not buying totally decrepit stuff.  I did include a decrepit Valerian lately, but it was for the unusually high weight.

I've probably overpaid twice within a recent period, one was probably almost twice what it was worth, but the other parts of the buys more than made up for it.

[singig]

@CPK I love all three coins  , well done !

[Phil Anthos]

On 2/28/2024 at 3:12 PM, CPK said:

Thanks @Nerosmyfavorite68!

Here is another one of my new 'quality' acquisitions - perhaps not quite as eye-catching as the Titus denarius, but still quite nice. I especially like the portrait style, which seems to be of a more individual and artistic style than the standard Domitian portrait. The reverse is nice as well - I like the little owl - and it is struck on a full weight, quality flan.

DOMITIAN, AD 81-96
AR Denarius (19.29mm, 3.53g, 6h)
Struck AD 88-89. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII, laureate head of Domitian right
Reverse: IMP XVII COS XIIII CENS PPP, Minerva standing right on top of rostral column, holding spear and shield; owl to lower right
References: RIC II 657 (R)
A rare type, well-struck on good metal with light toning. An excellent portrait of Domitian in fine style.

It also so happens to be a rare (R) type. If I may quote @David Atherton:

"Domitian did not take the consulship in 89, so this rare denarius is dated by TR P VIII between September 88 and September 89. The date can be further narrowed down by the 17th imperial acclamation. A military diploma dated 7 November, 88 records Domitian as IMP XVII, so this issue must have been struck briefly at the end of 88, perhaps just a month or so due to the rarity of the acclamation number on the denarii and the fact they were being awarded at a fairly rapid pace due to increased military activity along the Danube."  - Image search results - "domitian ric 657" - RIC 657 Domitian - Classical Numismatics Discussion - Members' Coin Gallery (forumancientcoins.com)

Since there are already a few of these posted I'll add my poor old flat scan image to the mix. I haven't paid much attention to my Roman coins in some time but I remember being as diligent as I was able with the resources I had back then while trying to attribute them. This denarius is missing the VIII, and I can't recall if I extrapolated that from the visible evidence or if that was Tom Cederlind's description. In any case...

Domitian / Minerva

89 AD AR Denarius (18mm, 3.07g) O: Laureate head right; IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR [P VIII]. R: Minerva standing right, wielding javelin and holding shield; IMP XIX COS XIIII CENS P P P. RSC 252 / RIC 137 / van Meter 39-3 ex Tom Cederlind

Edited March 3 by Phil Anthos

[JeandAcre]

On 2/29/2024 at 4:33 AM, Sulla80 said:

I am not certain, but I think "Yes".  There are later examples as well e.g. this coin that CNG calls a Vespasian  "Judaea Capta" Restitution issue of Trajan.

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5977957

and this Antoninus Pius AV Aureus Indian imitation

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3334199

 

I like how Titus's return to a Republican motif evokes @CPK's (instant edit: other) magnificent example of Vespasian, with the other cool Flavian practice of continuing the Julio-Claudian retrograde legends. 

It's fun to speculate about just how these folks were relating to their own relatively recent past.  ...What is that? historiography in reverse (a little like Vespasian's legend)?

Edited March 3 by JeandAcre

[DonnaML]

On 2/29/2024 at 9:40 AM, kirispupis said:

Mine is from Roma. Perhaps they work together at times? I have five coins from the collection, including this one.

Aquilia Severa (second and fourth wife of Elagabalus)
AR Denarius 2.81g, 18mm, 7h.
Rome, 220-222 CE
IVLIA AQVILIA SEVERA AVG, draped bust to right
CONCORDIA, Concordia standing facing, head to left, holding patera over lighted altar and double cornucopiae; star in left field.
RIC IV 225 (Elagabalus); BMCRE 185 (Elagabalus); RSC 2a.
Ex Vitangelo Collection

My one coin from the "Vitangelo Collection" is this one. There doesn't seem to be much tying them all together other than being Roman.

Roman Republic, L. Porcius Licinius, L. Licinius Crassus and Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus, AR Serrate Denarius, Narbo Mint [Narbo Martius colony (Narbonne), Province of Gaul], 118 BCE [year of Narbo’s founding].* Obv. Head of Roma right wearing winged helmet, necklace, and drop earring, with hair in two curling locks extending down from helmet; L•PORCI upwards in front; LICI downwards behind followed by mark of value * [= XVI asses] behind neck / Rev. Naked, bearded Gallic warrior [possibly Bituitus, king of Arverni; see 2^nd fn.] driving galloping biga right, holding shield with criss-cross pattern, dragon-head carnyx, and reins in left hand, and hurling spear with right hand; in exergue, L•LIC•CN•DOM. Crawford 282/5; BMCRR I Rome 1187; RSC I Porcia 8 (ill. p. 81) [this type is also RSC I Licinia 15 and Domitia 19]; Sear RCV I 158; see also Yarrow p. 110 & Fig. 2.68 at p. 113 [Liv Mariah Yarrow, The Roman Republic to 49 BCE: Using Coins as Sources (2021)]; RBW Collection 1110 (ill. p. 229); Foss p. 2 (The Republic No. 2a) [Clive Foss, Roman Historical Coins (Seaby, London, 1990)].  20 mm., 3.39 g., 8 h. Purchased from Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Auction 96, 5 May 2022, Lot 893 (from “Vitangelo” Collection).** [Footnotes omitted.]

 

Edited March 3 by DonnaML

[CPK]

On 3/2/2024 at 6:24 PM, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

It's another well-presented, beautiful example.  Looks like the new philosophy is working out.

I guess I've 'took things up a notch' compared to the old part of my collection, but I buy for personal enjoyment.  Unless it's a rare or expensive type, I've done fairly well about not buying totally decrepit stuff.  I did include a decrepit Valerian lately, but it was for the unusually high weight.

I've probably overpaid twice within a recent period, one was probably almost twice what it was worth, but the other parts of the buys more than made up for it.

Thanks! I'm happy with how things are going. Though, I do need to start selling more. I've got a couple of little group lots that I need to photograph and list, whenever I find the time.

On 3/2/2024 at 8:41 PM, singig said:

@CPK I love all three coins  , well done !

Thank you!