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Vitellius. AD 69. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.44 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa late April-20 December. A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head right / LIBERTAS RESTITVTA, Libertas, draped, standing facing, head right, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left. RIC I 105; RSC 47; BMCRE 31; BN 67-9. Toned, faint hairlines. EF.
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 29 (11 May 2005), lot 499.
As the ultimate loser in the Year of the Four Emperors free-for-all, Aulus Vitellius gets terrible press from historians ancient and modern. In truth, he is less of a villain than a lazy hedonist who was thrust into a role he never sought for himself.
Appointed to govern Germania, Vitellius found himself on the hot seat in late AD 68 as his soldiers grew disenchanted with Galba’s perceived parsimony. On January 1, AD 69, the soldiers smashed Galba’s images and proclaimed Vitellius emperor. The extent to which he was complicit in this revolt is unknown, but his subsequent march toward Rome took on the appearance of a Bacchic procession, with his soldiers drinking heavily and pillaging the countryside. By April 14, his forces had defeated those of Otho and induced the latter’s suicide. Arriving in Rome, Vitellius was confirmed as emperor by a reluctant Senate and treated his elevation as an excuse for one long banquet. As the legions of Vespasian drew closer, he tried to escape his predicament by abdicating, but his backers refused to let him step down. His pathetic last words, uttered as soldiers rousted him from his hiding place and began torturing him to death, were reputedly “but once I was your emperor!”
On the coin offered here presents a reverse depiction of Libertas, along with the legend LIBERTAS RESTITVTA (“liberty restored”); ironically, it had only recently been employed by Galba. The coin has a lifelike portrait of the imperial gourmand struck in high relief.
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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