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Vespasian. AD 69-79. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.35 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck July-December AD 71. IMP CAES VESP AVG P M, laureate head right / NEP RED, Neptune, naked, standing left, right foot set on globe, holding acrostolium in right hand and vertical scepter in left. RIC II.1 44; Calicó 653a (this coin illustrated); BMCRE 54; BN 37; Adda 56; Biaggi 328. Minor marks, edge marks. EF. Well struck and in high relief.
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 51 (5 March 2009), lot 218; Numismatica Genevensis SA IV (11 December 2006), lot 165; Rev. W. L. Gantz Collection (Part 1, Glendining, 27 May 1941), lot 465; D. Anderson Collection (Glendining, 3 December 1929), lot 104; Hirsch XXXIV (5 May 1914), lot 1006; Hirsch XXXI (6 May 1912), lot 1194.
An atypical reverse with Neptune's foot on a globe drew me to this attractive aureus, plus a provenance that is over a century old! (PLZ)
Titus Flavius Vespasianus (Vespasian) would today be described as coming from a family of “new money.” He was born outside Rome and raised in the countryside by his grandmother. He served as quaestor and then as aedile and he would be the first of his family to rise to senatorial rank. He made his reputation in the Roman army, serving in Thrace and the Claudian invasion of Britain in AD 43, where he was the legate of Legio II Augusta. His achievements in Britain are well recorded. In AD 51 he was elected consul, after which service he retired. Nero coaxed him out of retirement to govern Africa, but his most important military posting would come when Nero asked him to put down the Jewish rebellion in AD 66. While in Judaea the stage would be set for his rise to the throne where he would become the last man standing in AD 69, the Year of the Four Emperors.
Vespasian’s Judaean legions and those of neighboring Syria proclaimed him emperor on July 1, AD 69, and he quickly set sail for Egypt to secure the rest of the east. Unexpectedly, the Danube legions also declared for him and launched a lightning invasion of Italy that caught the forces of Vitellius flat-footed. Their victory, and the subsequent death of Vitellius, saw Vespasian confirmed as emperor by the Senate in absentia. He would not enter Rome until the late summer of AD 70. He immediately set about consolidating his support after the most tumultuous year in Rome’s history. A relative unknown to the general populace, the mint set upon a propaganda campaign related to his defeat of the Jews with the massive outpouring of “Judaea Capta” coinage for both Vespasian and his elder son and coleader in the Jewish war, Titus.
Upon the destruction of Jerusalem, Titus returned to Rome with the spoils of war, including a great number of enslaved Jewish combatants. Father and son celebrated with a terrific triumph and a substantial issue of Judaea Capta coinage (see lots 41 and 42). Vespasian used the wealth captured from the Jews to start construction on the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum). Sadly, it would not be completed during his lifetime. Besides the Colosseum, he also invested heavily in restoration projects throughout Rome.
Vespasian was a stern ruler but was widely perceived as fair-minded and generous to people in need. He was well known for his wit and pleasant manner. Even his image on coins seem to portray these jovial qualities. As he lay on his deathbed, he is reported to have uttered the famous phrase “dear me, I think I am becoming a God!” The Flavian dynasty he founded would rule the empire for a combined 27 years.
The coin offered here is one of only three examples to appear in Coin Archives. This is the finest of the three, and the Calico plate coin. Struck in high relief with a superb portrait.
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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