Rare Vespasian Didrachm From Rome

[David Atherton]

My latest acquisition is a Vespasian didrachm struck in Rome for Cappadocia. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-135320

The Roman struck pieces are much rare than those struck in Cappadocia! Style and the six o'clock die axis distinguish these from the locally produced coins.

[peterpil19]

Hi David,

Interesting coin and background.

Was it a routine practice for the Rome mint to top up supply to provinces of local coinage? Or did it occur infrequently and by exception. Does it signal anything significant - e.g. the prosperity of the local province and demand for its coinage or is it as mundane as a mint not facing production issues.

Peter

[David Atherton]

Nice one and interesting story, but what let you know that it is minted in Rome not in Caesarea besides the difference in the die axis? Did any literature exist? I also collect coinage of Cappadocia/Caesarea so it would interesting me. I use primarly Sydenham as reference until now.

Christian

Personally, I find the 'Rome' style a dead give away. More scientifically, Butcher and Ponting have observed that the Rome-style Caesarean coins are compositionally very similar to the contemporaneous denarii struck at Rome.

[David Atherton]

Was it a routine practice for the Rome mint to top up supply to provinces of local coinage? Or did it occur infrequently and by exception. Does it signal anything significant - e.g. the prosperity of the local province and demand for its coinage or is it as mundane as a mint not facing production issues.

During the Flavian era it was quite common for Rome to strike coins for the provinces. Not only that, but other major mints also produced coins for shipment abroad, i.g. - Alexandria for Syria, Syria for Cyprus and so on. There most likely was a chief imperial supervisor who coordinated all this, but the reasons as to why are lost to us.

[peterpil19]

Was it a routine practice for the Rome mint to top up supply to provinces of local coinage? Or did it occur infrequently and by exception. Does it signal anything significant - e.g. the prosperity of the local province and demand for its coinage or is it as mundane as a mint not facing production issues.

During the Flavian era it was quite common for Rome to strike coins for the provinces. Not only that, but other major mints also produced coins for shipment abroad, i.g. - Alexandria for Syria, Syria for Cyprus and so on. There most likely was a chief imperial supervisor who coordinated all this, but the reasons as to why are lost to us.

Thanks David.