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A Bare Headed Beauty


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Titus Caesar's denarii struck at Ephesus under Vespasian are decently rare, exceptionally so with a bare headed portrait! Recently, I was able to win one of these 'bare headed beauties' at auction. IMHO, they are the pinnacle of Titus' eastern imperial issues.

 

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Titus as Caesar [Vespasian]
AR Denarius, 3.23g
Ephesus mint, 71 AD  
Obv: IMPERATOR T CAESAR AVGVSTI F; Head of Titus, bare, bearded, r.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVG; Ceres std. l., on ornate high-backed chair, with corn ears and poppy and cornucopiae; in exergue, EPHE
RIC 1438 (R2). BMC -. BNC 359. RSC -. RPC 837 (2 spec.). 
Ex CNG E563, 5 June 2024, lot 808. Ex G.S. Collection. Ex NAC 92 Part II, 24 May 2016, lot 2144. Ex Gorny and Mosch.

The Ceres seated reverse struck at Ephesus was a prominent type for the city symbolising agricultural bounty and prosperity. The type's importance is underlined by the fact it was coined for all three Flavians at the Ephesian mint. This example features a very rare obverse portrait variant with bare head. Missing from the BM.

In hand.

 

Thank you for looking!

Edited by David Atherton
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