Silver Denarius of Vespasian RIC 52

So, what is the deal with this coin?

Have you seen this thing? It’s a silver denarius from ancient Rome, struck around 72 AD. On the front, you’ve got a portrait of Emperor Vespasian. And let me tell you, this guy does not look like your typical elegant, majestic Roman ruler. Most emperors wanted to look like gods. Vespasian? He looks like a guy who’s about to complain that the soup at the tavern is too cold. He’s got this famously crinkly, straining expression. Historians literally describe him as looking like he’s "always having a bowel movement." That’s his official imperial look! "Give me the 'stuck on the toilet' look, it projects strength!"

But you have to understand the historical context of why he wanted to look like that.

Right before Vespasian took over, Rome went through a little phase called the "Year of the Four Emperors." Four emperors in one year! Can you imagine the scheduling? You change the monogram on the towels, and boom, you're dead, next guy’s in. The previous emperor, Nero—major drama queen, spent all the tax money on giant golden statues of himself and singing lessons. Singing lessons! For an emperor!

So Rome goes completely broke, Nero gets kicked out, and three guys completely crash the car trying to take the wheel. Finally, Vespasian steps up. He’s a tough, no-nonsense military general from a middle-class background. He’s a tax guy. He looks at Rome and says, "Alright, the party is over. We are turning this car around."

He puts his own face on the coin looking like a grumpy grandpa because he wanted to say, "Look at me. I’m not a fancy, poetic weirdo like Nero. I work for a living. I have a budget. I am putting a tax on public toilets!" Which, by the way, he actually did. His own son complained about it, and Vespasian held up a silver coin just like this one and said, "Pecunia non olet"—"Money doesn’t smell." It’s beautiful!

Now, look at the back of the coin. It says VICTORIA AVGVSTI—"Victory of the Emperor." You’ve got the goddess Victory walking along, holding a palm branch, crowning a legionary standard.

Why is he bragging about a big victory in 72 AD? Well, his son Titus had just completely flattened Jerusalem and wrapped up the Jewish War. This was the massive jackpot Vespasian needed. They looted the Great Temple, brought back tons of gold, and enslaved thousands of people.

And what do you do when you win a big war and get a bunch of cash in ancient Rome? You build! Vespasian used that exact war money to start building a little project you might have heard of... the Colosseum! They literally built the world's most famous stadium using the funds celebrated by this tiny piece of silver.

So, what do we have here? It's a 1,900-year-old piece of propaganda. On the back, it’s a giant billboard saying, "Hey, we won the war, everything is great!" And on the front, it’s a picture of a guy who looks like he’s checking the receipt to make sure they didn't overcharge him for the palm branches!