Watch List notes:

The Roman Empire

Vitellius, January - December 69. Denarius circa late April to December 69, AR 3.47 g. [A VITELL]IVS GERM IMP AVG TR P Laureate head of Vitellius r. Rev. L VITELLIVS COS III CENSOR Laureate and draped bust of L. Vitellius, eagle-tipped sceptre to his r. C 2. BMC 26. RIC 99. CBN 58.
Very rare and in unusually fine condition for the issue. Two pleasant portraits and a lovely
light iridescent tone. Minor area of weakness on reverse, otherwise extremely fine

The elder Vitellius, who is shown on the reverse of this denarius struck by his son, the emperor Vitellius, was a familiar figure at court during the reign of Claudius, and was the most successful politician of his age. This was, however, a dubious distinction: during his lifetime it earned him praise and rewards, but afterward, Tacitus tells us he was despised for his methods. Despite his mixed legacy, this denarius shows that Vitellius used his father as proof of his own fitness to be emperor – a fact that sheds much light on Vitellius' own faulty moral compass.
When entering the Imperial presence Lucius Vitellius would uncover his head, prostrate himself and avert his gaze. He pursued and flattered Imperial ladies, including Antonia (who he apparently tried to marry) and Messalina, the third wife of Claudius, before whom he would grovel and request the honour of removing her shoes so he could kiss them. He was supportive of some of the most grotesque excesses of the Julio-Claudians, including the practice of Caligula's worship as a god and Claudius' final marriage to his niece Agrippina Junior. For Lucius Vitellius, it seems, no idea was too far-fetched and no cost too high if it benefited him: he even volunteered a son, the future emperor, for the troop of male prostitutes who served Tiberius during his self-exile on Capri.
On the less scandalous side, the elder Vitellius helped lead the Roman armies in Armenia in 18, served as Legate of Syria from 35 to 37 (during which he deposed Pontius Pilate in Judaea) and he was consul three times: in 34, 43 and 47. Two of those consulships were held under Claudius, under whom he reached the zenith of his career; indeed, he virtually ran the government while Claudius was helping to lead the invasion of Britain. An attempt to prosecute Lucius Vitellius failed in 51, and it is believed that he died soon thereafter.