Triton XX, Lot: 690. Estimate $7500. Sold for $6000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Vespasian. AD 69-79. AV Aureus (18mm, 7.18 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck AD 76. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right / COS VII, cow walking right. RIC II 840; Calicó 622a; BMCRE 176; Biaggi 314. Good VF, underlying luster, light scuff on obverse.

From the Continental Collection.

The reverse is believed by some to represent the bronze heifer created by the 5th century BC Athenian sculptor Myron. Vespasian placed the monumental work in his Templum Pacis (Temple of Peace), which was constructed following the close of the Jewish War. The temple complex doubled as a sort of public museum, where many of the spoils from the sack of Jerusalem were displayed alongside prominent works of art.