Titus, as Caesar (AD 79-81). AV aureus (20mm, 7.35 gm, 6h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 3/5, Fine Style, edge cut. Judaea Capta issue, Rome, AD 72-73. T CAES IMP VESP PON TR POT, laureate head of Titus right / Palm tree with five fronds in center, Titus (on left), standing right in military dress, grounded spear in right hand, parazonium in left, left foot on helmet, and Judaea (on right), veiled and draped, seated right in attitude of mourning, knees drawn up, head resting on left hand, left arm propped on knee. Calicó 721b. GBC 6, 6496. RIC II.1 368 (Vespasian). Expertly centered on a satiny flan, this is a highly attractive example from the immensely popular Judaea Capta commemorative series. Only six total examples in sales archives. Ex Triton XXV (11 January 2022), lot 847; Harry N. Sneh Collection (Gemini IX, 9 January 2012), lot 303; Teddy Kollek Collection (Leu Numismatik, Auction 86, 5 May 2003), lot 807. Born in AD 41, Flavius Titus Vespasianus, the elder son of Vespasian, initially appeared destined for a life akin to that of an upper middle-class civil servant, following in his father's footsteps. Vespasian had earned acclaim as a general during Claudius' invasion of Britain, and Titus, as he matured, developed into an intelligent, handsome, and charismatic young man, eventually serving as his father's second in command during the Judaean campaign of AD 66-69. Following the collapse of Nero's regime in Rome, Vespasian assumed the throne while Titus took charge of the Judaean war, culminating in the conquest of Jerusalem in AD 70. Upon his triumphant return to Rome, where suspicions of a coup surrounded him, Titus warmly reunited with his father and was honored with a grand triumph. Subsequently, he held the position of Praetorian Prefect and diligently safeguarded his family's political influence. Upon Vespasian's death in AD 79, Titus ascended to the imperial throne, initially raising concerns that he might emulate the excesses of Nero or Caligula. However, he swiftly proved to be an unusually benevolent and compassionate ruler to the Roman populace. Unfortunately, after barely two years in office, Titus died of a fever on 13 September AD 81; he was promptly deified by the Roman Senate and succeeded by his younger brother Domitian. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

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