Vespasian. AD 69-79. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 25.58 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck AD 71. Good Fine.

Keystone 17 – The W. Toliver Besson Collection
Lot: 222. Estimated: $ 1 000

Roman Imperial, Bronze

Sold For $ 4 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Vespasian. AD 69-79. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 25.58 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck AD 71. Laureate bust right, wearing aegis / Roma seated right on the seven hills of Rome, propping head on hand and holding parazonium; to left, she-wolf and twins; to right, the River Tiber reclining left, holding reed. RIC II.1 108; BMCRE 774 (Tarraco mint, same dies). Brown patina, some roughness. Good Fine. Fine style. Extremely rare. All known examples are struck from the same reverse die, indicating a very small output.

From the W. Toliver Besson Collection. Ex Phil Peck (“Morris”) Collection (Heritage 3071, 7 January 2019), lot 32069.

This reverse type was struck to celebrate the resurgent Rome. From AD 68-69 civil war took its toll, but Rome was victorious under the capable leadership of Vespasian. While Galba had claimed that Rome was reborn, Vespasian liked to think of Rome as resurgent and victorious. This issue was initially limited to sestertii alone in the first and second emissions.

Closing Date and Time: 22 July 2026 at 11:13:40 ET.



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