TITUS
AD 79-81
AE17. 2.71g, 16.8mm
MINTED: CARIA, Tabae, circa 79-81. Kallikrates Brachyllidou, magistrate
REF: RPC 1253; Waddington 2634
OBVERSE: KAIΣAP, laureate head right.
REVERSE: TABHNΩN KAΛΛIKPATHΣ around garlanded altar surmounted by a staff between two caps of the Dioscuri.

Grade/Notes:
Almost Very Fine. Dark green patina with surface roughness.
A very rare coin, hardly ever seen for sale, which makes for a good example of why Roman Provincial coins can prove to be a rewarding area of collecting.  Provincial bronzes are often found in less than pristine grades, and can hence be comparatively affordable, allowing the collector to acquire pricier emperors (such as Titus), or rare cities and interesting reverse types, for significantly less cost than the average Roman Imperial coin. 
 
Historical Notes:
Strabo wrote that Tabae was located on a plain in Phrygia, along the eastern border of Caria (in present day Turkey). In 189 BC, during the Galatian War between the Roman Republic and the Galatian Gauls, the Roman consul Gnaeus Manlius Vulso found his passage blocked by the hostile inhabitants of Tabae. Once he had defeated them, he imposed a fine of 25 talents and 10,000 medimni of wheat on the city. In time to come, the Tabaians would see the wisdom of siding with the Romans, and a dedication found on the Capitol in Rome dated to around the mid 2nd century BC describes Tabae as "friend and ally" of Rome.