Sestertius - Vespasian VICTORIA AVG S C, Victory

Vespasian's VICTORIA issues of 71 AD were struck within months of his formal triumph over Judaea, celebrated in Rome alongside his sons Titus and Domitian — the procession famously described by Josephus, who had personally surrendered to Vespasian at Jotapata and was now living as his client in Rome. The mint worked aggressively that year to broadcast the new dynasty's legitimacy, and Victory types flooded circulation as deliberate political currency for a man who had seized power by force just two years prior.

RIC II.1 213 is a Rome mint issue. The orichalcum fabric of surviving examples varies noticeably in surface color, ranging from deep olive-brown to warm golden tones depending on burial history.