Sestertius - Titus S C, Spes

Titus struck this issue in his own name during the final months of Vespasian's life, when he already held tribunician power and was effectively co-emperor. The year 79 is crowded with event: Vespasian died in June, Vesuvius erupted in August, and Titus found himself managing both an imperial succession and a catastrophe within weeks of sole accession. Whether sestertii bearing the Spes type were struck before or after Vespasian's death on June 23rd remains a matter of scholarly debate, as the mint chronology for that transitional period is not cleanly resolved.