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Vitellius. AD 69. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.33 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa late April-20 December. A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP TR P, laureate head right / LIBERTAS RESTITVTA, Libertas, draped, standing facing, head right, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left. RIC I 80; Calicó 563 (this coin illustrated); BMCRE –; BN –; Adda 45. Near EF. Extremely rare, one of four in CoinArchives. Wonderful portrait.
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 51 (5 March 2009), lot 214; Numismatica Ars Classica 10 (9 April 1997), lot 596; Numismatica Ars Classica 8 (3 April 1995), lot 783; Sir John Evans Collection (Rollin & Feuardent, 26 May 1909), lot 51; Vicomte Gustave Ponton d’Amécourt Collection (Rollin & Feuardent, 25 April 1887), lot 122.
A wide-eyed Vitellius is the hallmark of this sharp, top-notch aureus, and the wonderful provenance just adds to its attractiveness. (PLZ)
Aulus Vitellius could be described as a man who enjoyed good fortune through most of his life, until it abruptly fled him. The son of the influential senator Lucius Vitellius, he was born in AD 15 and raised in the luxury befitting a wealthy consul’s son. While his father played the sycophant and won the favor of Caligula, Claudius and Nero in succession, the younger Vitellius developed a penchant for gambling along with a gourmand’s appetites and corpulent physique. He served as Consul in AD 48, where he acquitted himself well, but resumed his disreputable habits in later years. He was named governor of Germania Inferior (lower Germany) by Galba in AD 69, only a few months prior to his being declared emperor by the legions there and in Germania Superior (upper Germany). Marching on Rome, his legions defeated those of Otho, forcing the latter’s suicide. For the moment, Vitellius seemed to have secured the ultimate prize in the tumultuous “long year” of AD 69.
As emperor, Vitellius would follow the plan of Otho in regard to Nero’s legacy. He honored the dead emperor and sacrificed to his spirit. Nero, last of the Julio-Claudian emperors, had remained extremely popular with the general public. Vitellius is most widely known as an enormous eater, with the historian Tacitus calling him a “hog.” He reportedly spent the equivalent of $2 billion on banquets during his brief reign.
The revelry was short-lived, however, as Vespasian was hailed emperor in Judaea only a few months later. Vitellius’ troops gave little resistance as legions loyal to Vespasian entered Italy. As Vespasian’s army approached Rome, Vitellius attempted to abdicate, but was prevented by the Praetorians and his backers, who rioted and burned down the Temple of Jupiter. This only delayed the inevitable: When Vespasian’s forces seized Rome, Vitellius was dragged out of his hiding place and brutally murdered, his body thrown down the Gemonian Stairs.
As for our coin offered here, it bears an appropriately bloated portrait of this notorious ruler. Libertas, personification of Liberty, appears on the reverse; according to A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins by John Melville Jones, the staff or vindicta, which Libertas carries, was “the rod with which a slave was touched during the ceremony of manumission or liberation."
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 132 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 18-19 May 2026.
CNG Feature Auction 132 – Session One – Lot 1-318 will be held Monday morning, 18 May 2026 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.
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