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Denarius of Vitellius pickup

MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 655 ✭✭✭✭
edited May 6, 2022 6:58PM in World & Ancient Coins Forum

Today I purchased this denarius of Vitellius and I just wanted to share it with you guys (and gals) :).

I hope you don’t mind!

The reverse of this coin is a particularly rare type and Vitellius’s reign of only a few months makes his coins in general rare themselves so even though it’s low VG grade with bankers marks it’s cool to have a very rare type.

The reverse depicts Lucius Vitellius, an ancestor of Emperor Vitellius who is famous in his own right.

Vitellius (late April-20 December AD 69). AR denarius (18mm, 2.94 gm, 5h). NGC VG 4/5 - 3/5, bankers mark. Rome. A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head of Vitellius right / L VITELLIVS COS III CENSOR, laureate, draped bust of Lucius Vitellius right; scepter surmounted by eagle to right. RIC I 77.

Oh and Just in case anyone is interested in who Lucius Vitellius was here is a nice little article I found while researching this coin. I hope you enjoy it!

Comments

  • TheGoonies1985TheGoonies1985 Posts: 5,720 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nice pick up!!

    NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers

  • MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 655 ✭✭✭✭

    @KingOfMorganDollar said:
    Nice pick up!!

    Thanks!! I found an interesting tid bit and it’s crazy to have a coin that even the British Museum & Louvre don’t have in their collections xD

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 34,116 ✭✭✭✭✭

    When I was shopping for a Vitellius denarius, I found a lot of pieces that were stuck off-center so that his name ran off the coin. I finally paid a strong price for a high grade piece that was perfectly centered. You piece is very nicely centered.

    It’s also significant that Lucius Vitellius is on the reverse. Had it not been for his successful career in the Roman Government, Vitellius probably would never have been in the position to become emperor.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 655 ✭✭✭✭

    @BillJones said:
    When I was shopping for a Vitellius denarius, I found a lot of pieces that were stuck off-center so that his name ran off the coin. I finally paid a strong price for a high grade piece that was perfectly centered. You piece is very nicely centered.

    It’s also significant that Lucius Vitellius is on the reverse. Had it not been for his successful career in the Roman Government, Vitellius probably would never have been in the position to become emperor.

    Thanks Bill! Yeah the portrait on the reverse is one of my favorite things about this coin :).

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 34,116 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This is one is sharp and in high grade, but the reverse is pedestrian.

    Denarius of Vitellius, Obverse, A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TRP, (“Aulus Vitellius Germanicus, Emperor, Augustus Tribunicia Potestate” (tribune of the Roman people - their representative in government.) Reverse, LIBERTAS RESTITUTA (“freedom restored”) Libertas standing.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 655 ✭✭✭✭

    @BillJones said:
    This is one is sharp and in high grade, but the reverse is pedestrian.

    Denarius of Vitellius, Obverse, A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TRP, (“Aulus Vitellius Germanicus, Emperor, Augustus Tribunicia Potestate” (tribune of the Roman people - their representative in government.) Reverse, LIBERTAS RESTITUTA (“freedom restored”) Libertas standing.

    That one is really nice and well struck with good centering and great toning!

    It definitely would’ve been a good choice for my collection with that portrait.

    But yeah it’s true I agree the reverse is pretty pedestrian. It’s not bad though!

  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 24,388 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Any nice Vitellius is a great find. One with that reverse is an exceptional find!

    All glory is fleeting.
  • MKUltra24MKUltra24 Posts: 655 ✭✭✭✭

    @291fifth said:
    Any nice Vitellius is a great find. One with that reverse is an exceptional find!

    Yeah for sure his denarii in general seem to be much rarer than most other Emperors.

    I’ve been trying to find out more information about this particular type but even using the RIC I 77 classification to search on Google my results have been limited.

    All I found is the article in my original post.

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