RIC 227 Titus

Æ As, 10.39g
Rome mint, 80-81 AD
Obv: IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P COS VIII; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r.
Rev: GENIO P R; S C in field; Genius stg. l., with patera over altar and cornucopiae
RIC 227 (R2). BMC -. BNC -.
Acquired from Romae Aeternae Numismatics, May 2020.

A variant of the Genius reverse with a rare right facing portrait, most of these are seen facing left. GENIO P R - 'The spirit of the Roman people' is not a common motif in Flavian coinage, although ten years previously it was a popular type during the Civil War. H. Mattingly connects the type under Titus with 'the vows undertaken for the first five years of the new reign'. The coin is dated COS VIII which Titus held in 80 (he did not renew the consulship in 81). Missing from the extensive BM and Paris collections.

Fetching dark green patina and decent style.