Vitellius, as Imperator. 2 January-18 July 69. Denarius (Subaeratus, 18 mm, 2.75 g, 5 h), uncertain mint in the Rhine Valley. 'Plated Jupiter-Vesta Group', imperatorial portrait issue. Bocciarelli groupe 1. A VITELLIVS IMP GERMANICVS Laureate head of Vitellius to right.
Rev. I O MAX CAPITOL-INVS The Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus on the Capitoline Hill: distyle temple with wreath in pediment; within, statue of Jupiter seated left, holding thunderbolt in his right hand and scepter in his left. BMC -. Bocciarelli 17 (
this coin, AV6/RV12). CG 17 (
this coin). Cohen -. RIC -. Unique and of great interest. Lightly toned and boldly struck in high relief. Minor breaks in plating
, otherwise, good very fine.
From the collection of Dipl.-Ing. Christian Gollnow, ex Numismatica Ars Classica 64, 17 May 2012, 1135.
This coin forms one of the centerpieces of Bocciarelli's groupe 1, a tightly interlinked issue consisting of both anonymous civil war denarii as well as coins bearing Vitellius' portrait. Much like groupe 2 (see lots 1167-1171 above), all of the few surviving coins are plated and connected by rare reverse die matches to the 'Fides Group' struck early in the civil war (see lots 1058-1076 above), linking them to the legions stationed in the Rhine Valley. For a longer note on the 'Plated Jupiter-Vesta Group', see lot 1167 above.
