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Titus. As Caesar, AD 69-79. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.39 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Vespasian, AD 76. T CAESAR IMP VESPASIAN, laureate head right / COS V, heifer of Myron standing right. RIC II.1 857 (Vespasian); Calicó 733a; BMCRE 185 (Vespasian); BN 162 (Vespasian); Adda 64; Biaggi 363 (this coin); Jameson 71 (this coin); Mazzini 51. Minor scratch on obverse, minor marks on reverse. EF. A magnificent portrait.
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Leo Biaggi de Blasys Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 49, 21 October 2008), lot 162; Robert Jameson Collection (publ. 1913); M. Fellot Collection (Bourgey, 13 April 1904), lot 79.
Another great provenance with an iconic reverse. (PLZ)
Titus Flavius Vespasianus was the elder son of the emperor Vespasian. Like his father, he made his reputation in the Roman army, holding ever-more important positions in Germania and Britannia. Later, he led the 15th Legion to Judaea to join his father in the suppression of the Jewish rebellion known as the First Jewish War. In AD 69, “the Year of the Four Emperors,” Vespasian broke off the Judean campaign to make his own attempt to seize the purple. Titus remained behind in Judaea to finish the campaign against the Jewish rebels. Vespasian would already be emperor when Titus finally besieged the city of Jerusalem in AD 70. When Jerusalem fell, the city and its centerpiece, the Second Temple, suffered almost total destruction.
Titus returned to Rome in AD 71 and was given a grand triumph. Details of this event are still to be seen on the arch of Titus in the Roman Forum. Titus and Domitian were both declared Caesars by the Roman Senate, but Titus was clearly preferred and, as Praetorian Prefect, was virtually co-emperor with his father, holding seven consulships in total. Upon Vespasian’s death in June of AD 79, Titus succeeded to the throne without opposition.
He proceeded to rule with moderation, intelligence and compassion. Vespasian used the spoils of the Jewish war to build Rome’s most recognizable and enduring monuments, the great Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum). Although begun and largely constructed under his father, it would be Titus who officially opened the Amphitheater in AD 80. The inaugural games to open the Colosseum lasted for 100 days and included gladiatorial contests, naval battles, chariot and horse racing, and a wide variety of exotic animal events. To this day, even in ruins, it remains one of the most visited sites in Rome.
Unfortunately, Titus’ brief reign also included more than its fair share of tragedy. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, likely in October AD 79, shortly after he assumed office. His relief efforts, which included large personal donations, are widely admired, and Titus is known to have visited the area on two occasions. In AD 80, another major fire broke out in Rome, and many buildings were destroyed, including the Pantheon, Temple of Jupiter, and Theater of Pompey. Again, Titus provided money from his personal fortune to aid in the relief and repair efforts.
Unfortunately for Rome, his time was destined to be short. Titus was observed to weep at the games opening the Colosseum and took seriously ill shortly thereafter. He seems to have sensed his doom and lamented that he was going to an early grave with only one serious regret, the nature of which has been the subject of speculation ever since. He died on September 1, AD 81 at the age of 40, in the same house where his father had succumbed two years before.
This impressive aureus of Titus was struck while he was Caesar to Vespasian, in AD 73. Although the Flavian dynasty was on firm footing by the time of issue, the reverse design of a standing sacrificial cow reprises an issue of Augustus and is intended to further legitimize Flavian rule. Hailing from the prestigious Biaggi Collection, this piece has an exceptionally detailed portrait of Titus, depicting him as a “chip off the old block” of his father.
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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