Titus caesar, 69 – 79
Aureus 77-78, AV 7.40 g. T CAESAR VESPASIANVS Laureate head r. Rev. ANNONA – AVG Annona seated l., holding cornucopia. C 16. BMC Vespasian 316. RIC Vespasian 971. CBN Vespasian 278. Calicó 726 (this coin). A superb portrait of fine style perfectly struck and centred on a very large flan. Superb reddish tone and virtually as struck and almost Fdc Ex NFA XX, 1988, 150 and NFA XXX, 1992, 244 sales. From the Boscoreale hoard of 1895. This coin is sold with an export licence issued by the government of Spain. For someone who died at the relatively early age of 41, Titus accomplished a great amount in a short period. Even from a young age, when he counted Britannicus, the ill-fated son of Claudius, among his best friends, Titus was recognised as having potential. Suetonius (Titus 2) tells us that "...when one day Claudius' freedman Narcissus called in a physiognomist to examine Britannicus' features and prophesy his future, he was told most emphatically that Britannicus would never succeed his father, whereas Titus (who happened to be present) would achieve that distinction". Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was the siege of Jerusalem in the First Jewish Revolt, a remarkable task of engineering genius and perseverance that he orchestrated personally. Upon returning to Rome his contributions to the empire were not quite so spectacular, but they were even more valuable. For nearly a decade before he became emperor in 79, Titus was the backbone of his father's administration. When he became emperor his popularity rose, and though he was privileged to dedicate the Colosseum, he also had to deal with the terrible consequences from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.