Watch List notes:

JDL Collection Part II: Roman Coins
THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

TITUS augustus, June 24, 79 –September 13, 81.

Sestertius, Rome 80-81, Æ 26.25 g.
Obv. IMP T CAES VESP AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII
His laureate head right; border of dots.
Rev. ANNONA - AVG Annona standing left, holding statuette of Aequitas in right hand and cornucopiae in left. At her feet, in left field, modius with corn-ears; in right field, prow of a ship.
Literature
Cohen - cf. 14 (S-C on reverse) BMC RE II, 254, 152
RIC II2, 207, 136
BN 151
M.-M. Bendenoun, Coins of the Ancient World, A portrait of the JDL Collection, Tradart, Genève, 2009, 56 (this coin)
Condition
Brown-green patina and about extremely fine.
For someone who died at the relatively young age of 41, Titus was able to accomplish a great many things. Even as a youth, when he counted Britannicus, the ill-fated son of Claudius, among his close friends, Titus was recognized as having poten- tial. Suetonius (Titus 2) tells us that "...when one day Claudius' freedman Narcissus called in a physiognomist to examine Britannicus' features and prophesy his future, he was told most emphatically that Britannicus would never succeed his father, whereas Titus (who happened to be present) would achieve that distinction."
In the eyes of his fellow Romans, Titus' greatest accomplishment perhaps was the siege of Jerusalem, which essentially brought an end to the Jewish War. It was a remarkable task of enginee- ring genius and perseverance that he orchestrated personally after his father had departed Judaea to pursue his ambition to become Rome's next emperor. Upon returning to the capital, Titus' contributions to the empire were not quite so spectacular, but valuable none the less. For the decade before he became emperor, Titus was the backbone of his father's administration.
When he finally became emperor, Titus' popularity rose once again. Though he was privileged to dedicate the Colosseum, he also had to suffer the terrible consequences of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This sestertius of A.D. 80-81 was engraved in exceptional style, with a portrait of the best quality. The reverse type is realised as if it was a miniature sculpture, with the artist achieving a great depth of field that breathes life into the scene of Annona holding a statuette of Aequitas as she stands beside the stern of a vessel.