Heritage World Coin Auctions
CCE Signature Sale 3054 7-8 April 2017
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Ancients
Vitellius (AD 69). AR denarius (18mm, 3.40 gm, 6h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 3/5. Rome, late April-December AD 69. A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head of Vitellius right / XV VIR SACR FAC, sacrificial tripod topped by dolphin, raven standing right below. RIC 109. BMCRE 39. RSC 111. Splendid portrait of this briefly reigning gourmand. Faint brush marks in fields, otherwise a superb piece, perfectly struck in high relief, with flashy multi-hued iridescence.After seizing the throne in a brief, brutal civil war in March-April AD 69, Aulus Vitellius treated his elevation as an excuse for one long banquet, reportedly spending the equivalent of $2 billion on delicacies. His bloated official portrait, faithfully reproduced on his coins, confirmed his immense appetites. But while he indulged himself, the civil war renewed when the armies of the East proclaimed the general Vespasian as emperor.
Estimate: 3500-4500 USD
Vitellius (AD 69). AR denarius (18mm, 3.40 gm, 6h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 3/5. Rome, late April-December AD 69. A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head of Vitellius right / XV VIR SACR FAC, sacrificial tripod topped by dolphin, raven standing right below. RIC 109. BMCRE 39. RSC 111. Splendid portrait of this briefly reigning gourmand. Faint brush marks in fields, otherwise a superb piece, perfectly struck in high relief, with flashy multi-hued iridescence.After seizing the throne in a brief, brutal civil war in March-April AD 69, Aulus Vitellius treated his elevation as an excuse for one long banquet, reportedly spending the equivalent of $2 billion on delicacies. His bloated official portrait, faithfully reproduced on his coins, confirmed his immense appetites. But while he indulged himself, the civil war renewed when the armies of the East proclaimed the general Vespasian as emperor.
Estimate: 3500-4500 USD