ROMAN. Vespasian, with Titus and Domitian as Caesars. A.D. 69-79. Silver Denarius (3.55g). Rome mint. Struck January-June A.D. 70. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head of Vespasian right / CAESAR AVG F COS CAESAR AVG F PR, confronted bare heads of Titus and Domitian, each with short beard. RIC II 16; RSC 5; BMCRE 368 (uncertain mint in Gaul); BN 2. aEF for the type. In the first turbulent year of Vespasian's rule, this denarius quietly announced a new dynasty. On one side, the seasoned general Vespasian, fresh from the chaos of civil war, appears laureate as the new Augustus. On the other, his two sons, Titus and Domitian, face each other in harmony, their bare heads symbolising youth and promise. Struck in A.D. 70, as the Flavians were still securing their grip on power, this little silver coin was a public pledge that Rome's future would pass from father to sons, a fragile promise of stability after the Year of the Four Emperors. (P)

Estimate: AUD 1500