You Don't Come Across One of These Very Often

I was very thrilled to have a second chance at this little beauty. Originally it was listed at auction in a group lot and I reluctantly decided to pass on it not needing or wanting the other coins in the lot. A week later it surfaced on its own at Vcoins. The goddess Moneta was giving me another chance and I didn't say no a second time.

It's one of those coins that even at first glance a non-specialist can see there is something extraordinary about the reverse.




Domitian
AR Denarius, 3.16g
Rome mint, 88 AD
Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VII; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r.
Rev: COS XIIII across field; Minerva adv r., with spear and shield (M1)
RIC 552 (R2). BMC -. RSC -. BNC -.
Acquired from Germania Inferior Numismatics, February 2020. Ex Spink 20120, 13 February 2020, lot 228 (part), The Michael Kelly Collection.

In 88 AD Domitian struck a brief special issue of Minerva denarii with abbreviated legends and austere reverse designs. The reverses feature a shortened legend across field (here just the COS date) instead of the usual full legend begging from the lower left. All the coins from the issue are quite scarce, likely owing to the brief time span in which they were produced. RIC cites one lone example from Berlin. Perhaps the issue was struck in conjunction with a special event that year (the Secular Games?) and are commemorative in nature. Regardless, the mint soon returned the denarius to its conventional Minerva arrangement, hinting that these scarce issues were indeed struck for a special occasion.

I have several coins from this series, which is quite a feat considering how rare they are in trade.

Feel free to share your rare reverse designs.

 

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Rare Reverse

Oh, wait there is no reverse...

Well, hmmm... how about if this whole series is Rare, and this denomination is Very Rare...


Etruria Populonia
AR 1 As 0.60g 10.0mm
after 211 BCE
Obv: Male Head Left
Rev: Plain Rev
Ref: Vecchi 3 68-70 HN Italy 181
Seller/Auction comment: EXTREMELY RARE

 

Here's a rare reverse type for Constantine the Great


Constantine the Great, Follis - Nicomedia mint, 2nd officina, c. AD 311
IMP C FL VAL CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; Laureate head right
VIRTVTIE-XERCITVS Mars/Virtus advancing right in military dress, holding transverse spear and shield ; trophy over shoulder. B in right field. SMN in exergue.
4.88 gr, 22 mm
RIC-, C-, Roman coins -
RIC lists this type only for Licinius and Maximinus . "Iovi Conservatori and Virtuti Exercitus both appear for Licinius and Maximinus, emissions for the former being the more scarce: coinage for Constantine is extremely rare. Date, c. 311". Coin should be listed after NICOMEDIA 70c.
Please see Victor Clarks website for further information at :http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/unlisted/

Q

 

Here's an Antoninus Pius sestertius with a very rare Juno Sospita reverse. I'm sure the dealer thought that the reverse was Minerva and not Juno Sospita considering how it was priced.






Antoninus Pius (Augustus)
Coin: Brass Sestertius
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P - Laureate head right
TR POT COS III - Juno Sospita advancing right, brandishing spear and shield; serpent before
Exergue:


Mint: Rome (140-144AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 23.25g / 32mm / 360
Rarity: Extremely Rare
References:
BMCRE pg. 210
and note = Strack 887
Unpublished
RIC 608 var (legends)
Acquisition/Sale: distinctivecoins Ebay $0.00 9/17
Notes: Jun 13, 18 - See CNG auction 67, Lot: 1503

The Gary R. Wilson Collection

Extremely Rare. From CNG: Strack only identified two examples, in Münich and the Vatican, but the latter of which may have a third example.

 

Good eye David. I would never have seen it as something rare and special.

 

Rude of me @David Atherton !

I forgot to say congrats on the Rare reverse. It looks clean, uncluttered, and shows off Minerva well. At first, it looked like COS ZIIII, then I mended the error of my ways.

I have worked with Dolf many times. His coins and quality of service is excellent. And he is a great person. I have purchased many quality Ancients from him, and I considered him one of my favorites.

 

That is a nice-looking coin, @David Atherton , in addition to being a rara avis! It's a great feeling to recognize and obtain a rarity when the opportunity presents itself.

This reverse type is quite rare in the middle bronze denomination. The British Museum does not have an example and it is not to be found at Wildwinds, OCRE, The Coin Project, coinscatalog.com, in the CNG archives or on a search at acsearchinfo.

RIC lists it, citing Cohen. Strack cites examples in Paris (the specimen cited by Cohen) and Naples. Neither of these specimens are available for viewing online. However, @paulus_dinius was able to provide a photograph of a plaster cast of a specimen from Münzhandlung Basel (Auction 1), June 28,1934, pl. 29, 1171:



It is a reverse die-match to my coin (RIC 1189; BMCRE p. 236 *; Cohen 187; RCV --; Strack 1238):



So, that makes four known examples of the coin:

1. Paris specimen
2. Naples specimen
3. Münzhandlung Basel specimen
4. My specimen.

 

It's a great addition, David, congrats.

 

That is indeed rare! Paul Dinsdale (@paulus_dinius) assigns it catalog number 009540 and illustrates it with this specimen:

 

Wonderful coin David! Are you now focusing more on silver again?

 

Let's just say if it's a cool Flavian I focus on it.

 

A wonderful coin David. I love the sparseness of the reverse legend. However let us not forget the obverse. The portrait is excellent.

 

A rare reverse of Commodus
(A.D. 177-192), AE Sestertius. Mint of Rome, struck A.D. 186. M COMMODVS ANT P FELIX AVG BRIT, laureate head facing right, rev. [CONC MIL P] M TR P XI - IMP VII - COS V P P, S - [C], Adlocutio scene: Commodus, togate, standing left on a raised platform, holding a sceptre and raising his right hand as he addresses a group of six soldiers standing facing him, FID EXERCIT in exergue,24.9g 29mm

 

Agreed. The portrait is certainly not from a 'Friday afternoon' die.

 

Nice to see this, Gary. I have a similar (?) one. It came in an eBay lot. Scarce, but not pretty - if I have my attribution correct - the reverse legends are not really visible on mine:



Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius
(140-144 A.D.)
Rome Mint
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS [PP TR P COS III], laureate head rt. slight drapery on left shoulder / [IVNONI SISPITAE] (?) S-C, Juno Sospita walking right, with spear & long shield, snake.
RIC 608 (or rev. leg. variety?)
(24.25 grams / 32 mm)

 

Nice find. Yeah, you're right. Too bad the reverse legend is gone. Either way, your coin is scarce to extremely rare. It sure is frustrating when the legend is gone on what could be a rare coin.

 

Domitian Ar Denarius RIC 331 85 A.D. Rv.German woman in attitude of mourning seated right on shield 3.28 grms 18 mm Though not rare as an aureus is less common on a denarius

 

Mike,

Gary's coin omitting the name of the goddess, with legends just ANTONINVS - AVG PIVS P P / TR POT - COS III, is a very rare variant, as he explains.

Since the obv. legend of your sestertius clearly begins ANTONINVS AVG PIVS all on the left, you are correct to restore the rev. legend as IVNONI SISPITAE, also a scarce to rare coin, and interesting for providing the name of the goddess, illegible though it is on your specimen.

 

There were a few Flavian rarities hiding in the group lots in that Michael Kelly auction, I wondered if you or Orfew had managed to snag any. (They silver lots all went too high for me.) Glad to see that at least one coin did indeed end up with you in the end, congrats!

I did pick up a 2-coin Flavian lot in that auction, though. Not a rarity, and bit rough, but I bet you can guess why I wanted this coin...

 

Nice left-facing portrait? Though that is not unusual on Titus asses....