Otho AR Denarius

Otho, 69.
Denarius, Rome;
3.03 g.
Obv: Head r .IMP M OTHO CAESAR AUG TR P
Rev:Equitas stands l. with scales and scepter. PONT MAX
BMC 6; Coh. 9; RIC² 19.
Fine tone fine
Ex: The Jyrki Muona collection
auction Fritz Rudolf Künker 304, Osnabrück March 2018, No. 1073
auction Fritz Rudolf Künker 312, Osnabrück October 2018, No. 2822.

I am thrilled to have bought my second denarius of Otho. Otho was the second of the emperors n the year of the four emperors in 69 CE. After losing a battle to Aulus Vitellius he took his own life rather than needlessly spill more blood.

I absolutely love the portrait on this coin. It is rendered in a truly artistic style. The PONT MAX reverse is rarer than the SECURITAS reverse of my first coin of OTHO. This coin was struck on a rather large flan and the quality of silver is very nice indeed.

After winning this coin I was contacted by Dr. Jyrki Muona who informed me that the coin once belonged to him. Dr. Muona has written on the topic of coins of Otho including the paper "The Rome mint coins of Marcus Salvius Otho". I am very pleased to own a coin of Otho from his collection.

Some have claimed that Otho was an insignificant historical figure and that his coins are only collected because collecting the 12 Caesars based on the book by Suetonius means that one needs a coin of Otho. I would have to disagree. Otho ruled in a time of civil war during a truly formative century for the Roman empire. He also gave his life to spare others. To me this makes him significant enough for me.