Ancient Rome Vespasian Denarius with Titus and Domitian (Fakes are possible) 69AD to 79AD

According to Wikipedia, Vespasian (Latin: Titus Flavius Caesar Vespasianus Augustus; 17 November 9 to 23 June 79) was Roman Emperor from AD 69 to AD 79. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

This silver denarius (about 3.3 grams total weight) shows Vespasian on the front and his two sons, Titus and Domtian, on the back.

The coin in our picture comes from Gemini Numismatic Auctions where it sold recently for $500 US dollars. This gives an idea of the value of such a coin. CoinQuest thanks Gemini for use of their coin photo. It is a nice one.

Variations of this coin can be found selling for various prices. Each coin stands on its own merits. I have seen auctions of coins with lots of wear selling down toward the $100 mark. Conversely, exquisite coins with strong relief and eye appeal can reach toward $5000.

The disturbing part is that this coin is often counterfeited. Respected seller Beast Coins in New Berlin, Wisconsin, USA identified the coin in our secondary picture as a fake -- a really good fake. This underscores the importance of doing business only with reputable dealers you know and trust. It is always best in numismatics (coin collecting) to start small and develop working relationships with trusted dealers. A wise buyer usually avoids trouble, but buying from people you do not trust often leads to disaster.

Remember that ancient coins each stand on their own merit. Many things, such as sharpness of strike, centering of the images, legibility of the inscriptions, and quality of the flan all weigh in on an ancient coin's value.

Coins with the letters WRL, like Alesha's coin, are modern replica pieces. WRL stands for Westair Reproductions Ltd. They are a UK based company who supply replica coins to castle and museum gift shops etc. and their coins sometimes turn up in collections. Be wary of the WRL stamp - these modern replicas are worth zero.

The values used on this page are catalog values - please visit our Important Terminology page found at the top left in order to properly translate them into actual buying and selling values.
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