Highly collectible Roman coin commemorating the opening of the Colosseum comes to auction
The coin, a day’s pay for a soldier, was minted in AD 80 during Emperor Titus’ brief two-year rule. It features Titus’ profile facing left on the obverse and an elephant on the reverse.
The Roman Emperor Titus only ruled for two years, from AD 79-81, but his reign saw two hugely significant events in the Roman world. The first was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, which completely destroyed the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. These two locations have since become arguably the most important archaeological sites from the whole of the Roman world, yielding artistic masterpieces and everyday items and providing a window into Roman life at the time. For Titus, who’d only been emperor for a few months, the eruption was seen as the worst possible omen – a terrible sign from the Gods. Sacrifices and atonements took place across the city of Rome in the following years.
Fortunately for Titus, a great celebration was due the following year. After nearly a decade, the colossal Flavian Amphitheatre was nearing completion. The enormous construction, which we now know as the Colosseum, was funded from the spoils of Titus and his father Vespasian’s wars against the Jewish Revolt, which resulted in the sacking and destruction of Jerusalem. Now one of the most iconic buildings of the ancient world, the Colosseum opened to great fanfare in AD 80, with 100 days of gladiatorial games and celebrations. Included in these events were huge parades of exotic animals, including enormous elephants.
Coins were minted that year to commemorate the events, one such being a denarius (a silver coin worth around a day’s pay for a Roman soldier at the time) depicting an elephant. An exceptional example of this highly collectible coin will be sold at Baldwin’s Ancient Coin Sale on Wednesday, 29 May 2024. It is a very rare variety, with the Emperor’s head facing left rather than right. The condition is superb; the coin has seen little circulation and has developed an attractive, dark cabinet tone. It is from a large collection of Roman coins, which will also be going under the hammer that day, and the sale overall will feature over five hundred Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins of the highest quality – dating from the Roman Republic to the Seventh Century AD.
This coin will be offered with an estimate of £2,000-2,500. The auction will take place on Wednesday, 29 May 2024, at 10:00 am at Baldwin’s Auction House, 399 Strand, London WC2R 0LX. For further information, visit the website.
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