Dupondius - Vespasian VICTORIA AVG S C, Victory

Vespasian's first full year as undisputed emperor followed the catastrophic civil war of 69 AD — a year that burned through four emperors — and his mints worked aggressively to flood circulation with imagery reinforcing his legitimacy. Victory types were particularly prominent in 71, coinciding with the formal triumph celebrated in Rome for the suppression of the Jewish revolt, in which Vespasian and his son Titus paraded captives and temple spoils through the city. The orichalcum dupondius denomination had been reserved for Victory and related types since Augustus, a convention Vespasian was careful to maintain.