| Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3114 | Auction date: 16 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 33206 Price realized: 1,600 USD (Approx. 1,470 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients IONIA. Smyrna. Vespasian Junior (ca. AD 95/6). AE (18mm, 2.36 gm, 6h). NGC VF 4/5 - 2/5, smoothing. Ca. AD 94/5. ΟΥƐϹΠΑϹΙΑΝΟϹ ΝΕΩΤΕΡΟϹ, bare head of Vespasian Junior right / ΖΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ, Nike advancing left, wreath in outstretched right hand, palm branch cradled in left. RPC II 1029. Nicely articulated designs visible on the charcoal surfaces. Ex S&S Collection (Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 525, 19 October 2022), lot 643; Classical Numismatic Group inventory 723804 (December 2000); Sternberg XXXV (28 October 2000), lot 493; Aufhäuser 8 (9 October 1991), lot 387. Emperor Domitian faced significant challenges in securing an heir to maintain the imperial lineage. His only biological child, whose name remains undiscovered, passed away as an infant around AD 83. A marital rift with his spouse, Domitia, ensued soon after, and though they reconciled later, no further offspring emerged. To preserve the Flavian Dynasty's reign, Domitian adopted his two great-nephews in AD 94 or 95, bestowing upon them the names Vespasian and Domitian. These boys, two among seven siblings, were born to Domitian's niece, Flavia Domitilla III, and her spouse, Flavius Clemens, the latter being the grandson of Vespasian's brother, Flavius Sabinus. However, this arrangement unraveled tragically in AD 95 when Clemens, after being appointed Consul, was accused of "atheism," removed from office, and executed. His wife Domitilla was also charged and exiled to the island of Pandateria, echoing the fate of Augustus' daughter Julia. The accusation of atheism, a rare capital offense, hints at a possible conversion to Christianity or Judaism by the couple. The fate of the boys remains uncertain, but their youth likely didn't shield them from Domitian's vengeance. The subsequent fate of the boys remains unknown, and Domitian's rule ended with his assassination in July of AD 96. The turbulent era of Vespasian the Younger is immortalized in rare coins minted in Smyrna during the boys' fleeting ascendancy in AD 94/5. The engraved inscription, ΟΥƐϹΠΑϹΙΑΝΟϹ ΝΕΩΤΕΡΟϹ, translating to "Vespasian the Youngest", confirms the child's identity on the obverse. These scarce coins are a testament to that transient epoch, with die studies revealing only a scant number were ever forged to begin with. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-provincial/ancients-ionia-smyrna-vespasian-junior-ca-ad-95-6-ae-18mm-236-gm-6h-ngc-vf-4-5-2-5-smoothing/a/3114-33206.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3114-01162024 HID02906262019 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
