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| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61636 | Auction date: 10 August 2026 |
| Lot number: 21270 Price realized: 2,200 USD (Approx. 1,904 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients Vespasian (AD 69-79). AE sestertius (34mm, 22.51 gm, 7h). NGC VF 5/5 - 2/5. Rome, AD 71. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III, laureate head of Vespasian right / VICTORIA-AVGVSTI, Victory standing right, left foot on helmet, affixing shield inscribed OB / CIV / SERV to palm tree, at base of which sits mourning Jewess to right in attitude of mourning; S C in exergue. RIC II 221. GBC 6, 6538. From the Eyeappealing Collection. The famous reverse legend IVDAEA CAPTA refers to the triumph of Vespasian's son Titus over the Jewish rebels and the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem the prior year. Six hundred years earlier, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II and his conquering army had destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem, carrying away the Jewish people as slaves back to Babylon. The Romans chose to leave the subjugated Jewish population in place, a mistake that would come back to haunt them in the Bar Kokhba Revolt 60 years later. But if not steal the Jewish population as the Babylonians had done, what did the Romans loot from Judaea as spoils of war? Though the Romans had been enraged by the insubordination of the Jews, they held a certain respect for the ancient nature of the Jewish religion and its institutions, part of the reason that Roman authorities permitted Judaism while persecuting newer "cults" like Christianity. When the triumphant army of Titus descended upon the city in August AD 70, they fixated on the Temple, the center of the Jewish faith and therefore of the revolt against Rome. Before destroying the structure, the Roman legionaries looted the sacred relics of the Temple, including the Table of the Sacred Bread, a table of solid gold that held various food and drink that was a type of permanent offering to God. But the greatest prize of all was the gold menorah, which was paraded through the streets of Rome along with the aforementioned Table and the sacred trumpets during Titus' triumph. The whole scene, including the menorah, is featured prominently on the Arch of Titus, which still stands today in Rome. www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/vespasian-ad-69-79-ae-sestertius-34mm-2251-gm-7h-ngc-vf-5-5-2-5/p/61636-11037.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61636-08102026 HID02906262019 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Certification number: NGC 6830167001 |  |
