RIC 1120 Vespasian denarius

IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG TR P
Laureate head right

IVDAEA DEVICTA
Palm tree; to left, Judaea standing left, hands bound in front.

Lugdunum; 71 CE, undated

2.88g

RIC 1120 (C); Hendin 6518 (R)

Ex-Atherton (for a few hours) :)

A much sought after and unique Judaea Capta denarius struck at Lyon (Lugdunum) in 71 CE. This example is solid silver with wonderful dark toning and hints of iridescence. The bottom of the letters in IVDAEA can just be made out on the reverse.

The vast majority of these denarii on the market today are plated contemporary forgeries. David Atherton states that nearly 60% of the Devicta coins he's seen in trade are plated. There are no known die links between plated and solid examples. However, because of the sheer amount of plated coins in existance, some have speculated that they are semi-official. The type is very difficult to attain on the market as either a fouree or solid silver. The forthcoming Addenda has changed the frequency from (C) to (R). Thanks to David for helping me secure this fantastic and historical piece!