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Vespasian RIC II 1453
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Vespasian. 69-79 A.D. AR Denarius. Ephesus Mint. 73 A.D. (late). (2.69g, 19.9mm, 6h). Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPAS AVG COS IIII TR PPP, laureate head right. Rev: CONCORDIA AVG, Ceres std. l. on ornate high-backed chair, with corn ears and poppy and coruncopiae; in exergue, star. RIC II 1453 (R2); RPC 850.
Very few of the Ephesus denarii are classified as common in the updated RIC, but those with COS IIII are exceedingly rare. Of three denarii types know with COS IIII, all but this type are R3 (only one example known to the authors at the time of publication). This is the only one of this series I've seen outside the RIC II plate coin and another in a personal collection here at the Forum. Given its scarcity, I was surprised mine was not an obverse or reverse die match to that plate coin.
The Concordia reverse was contemporaneously used in Rome, but the Ephesus examples used an ornate, high-backed, chair, and she is holding corn ears and poppy compared with a patera in the Rome example on a plain chair. Despite some wear, this coin has full legends and devices on a large flan. The portrait is also the high relief typical of coins minted in Ephesus.
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