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 Replies: 8 / Views: 1,687 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1269 Posts |
I just won this one from Roma today. I bought it because it has a wonderful Vitellian portrait. I have seen other coins of Vespasian with a portrait that resembles Vitellius, but this is one of the best I have seen and so I could not resist it. The coin type is very common but the portrait makes this coin exceptional. Vespasian AR Denarius. Rome, AD 70. 3.18g, 18mm, 6h. Obv: IMP CAESAR V[ESPASIANV]S AVG, laureate head right Rev: COS ITER TR POT, Pax standing left, holding olive branch and caduceus. RIC 27. Roma Numismatics E-Sale 57 Lot 840 May 30, 2019  |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
I bet he wasn't too happy with this depiction, I feel sorry for the celator.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
Unusual portrait indeed - and a very emaciated looking Pax to boot. Congrats on the interesting oddity, Andrew.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1120 Posts |
Orfew, never even knew that this type of portrait existed. I guess this may be the closest I'll ever get to owning a Vitellius denarius.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
789 Posts |
Quote:
... very emaciated looking Pax to boot. That's the little known "Pax Anorexia". |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I notice some characteristics of Vitellius in the portrait.
That does not surprise me very much.
This image of Vespasian must have been cut very early in his reign.
When a new emperor comes to power, a new image of the new emperor needs to appear on the coin.
The way the die cutters from all mints learned learned about the facial details of the new emperor
was by having several plaster busts made, and sent on to each mint as soon as possible.
In the case of Vespasian, the emperor who preceeded him was Vitellius, and it is the image of Vitellius that the die cutter had previously learned. Until the new plaster bust had arrived at the Mint, the die cutter was left to his own skills as to how to present the image of the new emperor on the coin.
These days, we can all post pictures on our iphones to each other. Soon images will be sent to enable 3-D printing.
An analogy:-
Roman troops never had access to tear gas to quell riots.
The best that they could do was throw a spear, with an onion in the tip.
(Apologies to Wayne & Shuster:- "Rinse the Blood Off My Toga".)
Edited by sel_69l
05/31/2019 01:13 am
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Moderator
United States
34418 Posts |
As AD 69 was the year of four Emperors, maybe the cellator was taking some much needed vacation time after having to learn to engrave so many new faces.  "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
1194 Posts |
sel is right , it is an early coin of Vespasianus who was in the Middle East , so in Rome , nobody knows how he was looking .So , when they had to make a coin with his image , the celator toke an image of the previous emperor and adapted it from what people said he was looking . This happened more in the third century . albert
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
1269 Posts |
Thanks to all for the kind comments.
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Replies: 8 / Views: 1,687 |
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Posted 05/30/2019 8:46 pm
