Pre-Long Beach Auction #78

Vespasian. Gold Aureus (7.0 g), AD 69-79. Rome, AD 75. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, bare head of Vespasian left. Reverse PAX AVGVST, Pax seated left, holding branch and scepter. RIC 771; Calicó 662b. Rare. No major problems, evenly worn. Very Good to Fine.

This coin confirms the contention made by the authors of the second edition of RIC II that this undated Pax type of Vespasian should be placed alongside his coins dated COS VI and those of Titus dated COS IIII (AD 75). Their reasoning was twofold: 1) obverse die links of undated Pax aurei of Titus to other of his aurei that are dated COS IIII, and 2) it is on other Pax type denarii dated COS VI that Vespasian's bare head left makes its first appearance (on denarii with Pax standing left). They also noted in RIC that "[no] die links have yet been found between the corresponding aurei of Vespasian," and this is where things become interesting. While this coin is not die linked to other aurei of Vespasian, the reverse die is indeed the same that was employed to strike the undated Pax aureus of Titus in the British Museum collection, BMC 310, which of course is die linked to his aurei dated COS IIII.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.