Those who have been around here for a while will know that I have a liking for the denarii of Domitian that were struck during his first year as Augustus. After the untimely death of Titus, Domitian did not spare a minute in his assumption of the purple. The first year denarii of Domitian carry over a number of the reverses used under Titus. Of all of them I think my favourite is the one you see on this coin. One reason I wanted this coin was be because the dolphin is extremely well rendered .Perhaps it just seems that this is the case because the coin is so well preserved. It has the full legends and has really nice centering. There is much to love with this coin. The portrait is very special and is among my faves of the young portraits of 81 CE. Many if not all denarii of Domitian once sported a beard. I love that the beard is on full display on this coin. In many cases the beard is worn off of the coin. I also love the short legend on the reverse. I find this aesthetically pleasing. This is a group 3 denarius. There are 4 groups in 81 CE. While every coin in group 2 is very rare to extremely rare there are available coins from group 3. However, I think I can safely say that the denarii of group 3 are almost as rare as those in group 2 . While this coin is noted as rare in RIC, there are others of group 3 that are rarer. I am very happy not add this coin to my collection. That makes 2 denarii from this group that I have added this week. I find this unusual since I normally only find one from this group every year or 2. Feel free to post your favourite bearded portraits. Domitian AR Denarius 891 CE (Group 3) (18mm 3.29g) Obv: Laureate head right; IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PM Rev: Dolphin wrapped around anchor; COS VII DES VIII RIC 26 (R); BMC page 300 +; RSC 63 Solidus Numismatik February 23, 2021
I like the toning on that one! And Domitian's beard! My favorite beard portrait is this Macrinus: Macrinus, AD 217-218. Roman AR denarius, 2.94 g, 19.5 mm, 6 h. Rome, AD 217. Obv: IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: PONTIF MAX TR P COS P P, Fides Militum standing facing, head right, right foot on helmet and holding a military standard in each hand. Refs: RIC 22A; BMCRE 38; Cohen 60; RCV 7345; ERIC II 69.
Lovely coin Andrew. You're on a roll this week! IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG P M Laureate head right COS VII DES VIII P P Dolphin coiled round anchor Rome 81 A.D. (3rd group) 3.3g RIC 26 (R), RSC 63 Ex-Enrico collection
