Rare Vespasian PROVIDENT As

[David Atherton]

The devil is sometimes in the detail - such as flyspecking about the spelling of a word. My latest addition is a good example of collectable minutiae.

 

Vespasian
Æ As, 11.18g
Rome mint, 71 AD
Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.
Rev: PROVIDENT in exergue; S C in field; Altar
RIC 317 (R2). BMC 611. BNC -.
Ex Harlan J Berk BBS 225, 30 November 2023, lot 31. Ex Curtis Clay Collection. Ex Dionysus, eBay, 31 May 2015.

Originally, Tiberius struck the Provident altar type for Divus Augustus. The altar depicted is dedicated to Providentia, the personification of the emperor's divine providence. Although the type is commonly described as an altar, Marvin Tameanko has convincingly argued it is actually a sacellum, or small shrine. This popular type was later revived during the Civil War by Galba and Vitellius. Vespasian began striking it early in his reign both at Rome and Lyon, confining the type to the as issues. The variant spellings on the reverse can range the gamut from 'PROVID' to this coin's 'PROVIDENT'.

In hand.

 

Feel free to post your own rare minutiae coins. 

Thanks for looking!

[CPK]

Nice one!