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Aureus - Vespasian COS VIII, Victory
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 77-78 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Two winged Victories stand facing one another at the centre of the field, each holding a wreath aloft and appearing to crown one another or present the wreath toward the centre; both figures are rendered in flowing garments with large spread wings visible to either side. A vertical standard or palm branch flanks the composition on the left. The legend COS VIII appears in the lower exergual area beneath the figures, identifying Vespasian's eighth consulship. The whole design is enclosed within a beaded border, with the broad, open field lending a monumental quality to the scene. |
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| Additional information |
Vespasian's eighth consulship fell in 77–78 AD, the same period during which his son Titus was overseeing the final stages of the Jewish War's aftermath and the systematic looting of Jerusalem's temple treasury was financing an extraordinary building program in Rome — including the Colosseum, still under construction at Vespasian's death in 79 AD. The Victory type on aurei of this period draws a direct line to that campaign, the spoils of which Josephus records in careful detail.
RIC II.1 935 is a reasonably well-documented issue, but examples in anything above Fine condition are genuinely scarce on the open market.