RIC 1229 Vespasian

Æ As, 10.26g
Lyon mint, 77-78 AD
Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS VIII P P; Head of Vespasian, laureate, l.; globe at point of bust
Rev: AEQVITAS AVGVSTI; S C in field; Aequitas stg. l., with scales and rod
RIC 1229 (R). BMC -. BNC -.
Acquired from NumisCorner, March 2022.

Vespasian inherited a financial mess upon his accession in 69. His top priority was putting the state on a sound financial footing. Symbolic of that righting of the empire was the common reverse type of Aequitas. Aequitas holding her scales and measuring rod was probably based on a cult image of the deity. She first shows up as an imperial virtue on the coinage under Galba, a virtue that Vespasian was eager to emulate. This as from late in the reign was struck in 77-78 at Lugdunum (modern Lyon), presumably to address a bronze coinage shortage in the Western provinces. The left portrait variant is much rarer than it's right facing counterpart. Missing from both the BM and Paris collections. I think RIC's 'rare' frequency raring is a bit underplayed.