RIC 1505 Vespasian

Æ20, 4.07g
Ephesus (?) mint, 77-78 AD
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIAN AVGVST; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.
Rev: PON MAX TR P P P COS VIII CENS; S C; Victory adv. l., holding wreath and palm
RIC 1505 (R2). BMC -. BNC -. RPC 1476 (2 spec.).
Ex Aphrodite Auction 6, 22-24 October 2022, lot 591.

Late in Vespasian's reign a rare series of orichalcum bronze coins were struck in Asia Minor at an unknown mint. Although imperial in appearance, the style, weight system, and metal used all point to a mint other than Rome. Due to their extreme rarity today, they could not have been struck for any great length of time (the date cannot be narrowed down any further than Vespasian's COS VIII, 77-78 AD). The types consist of ones variously copied from either Rome (such as this Victory type) or local provincial issues. A stylistic similarity with the earlier 'o' mint denarii possibly struck at Ephesus has been noted by both RIC and RPC.

My assumption is that a piece like this did not have wide circulation beyond the region of mintage. Orichalcum was not used for such small bronze denominations at Rome and would have been a baffling coin to your average Roman pleb.