Titus. As Caesar, AD 69-79. Æ As (25mm, 11.81 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Vespasian, AD 72.

CNG Feature Auction 118
Lot: 1027. Estimated: $ 300

Roman Imperial, Bronze, Coin-in-Hand Video

Sold For $ 700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Titus. As Caesar, AD 69-79. Æ As (25mm, 11.81 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Vespasian, AD 72. Laureate head right / VICT ORIA NAVALIS, S C across field, Victory standing right on prow of galley, holding palm frond and wreath. RIC II.1 454 (Vespasian). Hard green patina, a few shallow marks, traces of earthen deposits, minor roughness on reverse. VF.

From the Dr. Jay M. Galst Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 49 (17 March 1999), lot 1525 (hammer $625).

It is tempting to tie this coin into Titus’ defeat and capture of Jerusalem in October AD 70, but the Judaea campaign was land-based. According to Harold Mattingly in his introduction to the Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, “Victoria Navalis on her prow demands a word of explanation. Laffranchi has suggested a definite commemoration of Actium, and he is probably right in so far as a parallel is drawn between Augustus and Vespasian, both victorious in the East. But there had been little naval fighting in the Jewish war, and the Civil War, to which veiled reference might be made, had been won on land, against the advice, or even the orders of the Emperor. The official policy of Vespasian had been that of a slow but certain victory by blockade of Rome from Egypt; and it is to call attention to the wisdom and importance of this policy that the coins were designed.”

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 118 lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 13-14 September 2021. CNG Feature Auction 118 – Session Three – Roman Provincial Coinage Part 2 through Roman Imperial Coinage Part 1 will be held Tuesday morning, 14 September 2021 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 22.50% for all others.

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