I received this almost sestertius-sized dupondius (30mm!) last week. Needless to say it's quite a hefty chunk of bronze in hand! Domitian Æ Dupondius, 13.36g Rome mint, 85 AD Obv: IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG GERM COS XI; Head of Domitian, radiate, bearded, r. Rev: VICTORIAE AVGVSTI; S C in field; Victory stg. l., inscribing shield set on trophy to l., and holding palm RIC 297 (R). BMC -. BNC 334. Acquired CGB.fr, June 2021. A 'Germania Capta' dupondius struck during Domitian's first issue of 85, the first bronze issue that fully celebrated the German victory. The war with the German tribe the Chatti likely took place in either 82 or 83 and Domitian acquired the title 'Germanicus' in 83, the year of his German triumph. Why it took so long for these achievements to be commemorated on the bronze coinage is a mystery. Perhaps the bronze mint was not in full operation due to reorganisation until 85. These 'Germania Capta' types would be produced for only a few years between 85-88. This Victory inscribing shield was struck somewhat commonly for the dupondii and sparingly for the asses. The motif was borrowed, with some minor modifications, from Vespasian's coinage. Rare lacking aegis portrait and missing from the BM. Post your oversized coins!
My only Domitian dupondius: DOMITIAN AE Dupondius OBVERSE: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XII CENS PER P P, radiate head right REVERSE: S-C, Mars advancing left, holding Victory & trophy Struck at Rome, 86 AD 11.6g, 27mm RIC 482
I am afraid I no longer have a dupondius of Domitian. But I do have an as. Domitian Ae As 86 AD Obv Bust right laureate aegis on far shoulder. Rv. Fides standing right. RIC 486 11.97 grams 28 mm photo by W. Hansen The one feature that I find interesting about the coinage of Domitian as emperor is that while his devotion to the goddess Minerva is very apparent on the gold and silver coinage it is less so on the aes.
Whoa! Were that a pizza, it'd be "thin and crispy" style -- normal weight but large diameter flan, so thinner than normal. Here's a "thin and crispy" antoninianus of Salonina. Salonina, AD 253-268. Roman billon antoninianus, 4.64 g, 23.3 mm. Antioch, AD 264. Obv: SALONINA AVG, diademed draped bust right on crescent. Rev: VINO REGINA, Juno standing left, holding patera and scepter; peacock at feet left; star in left field. Refs: RIC 92 var.; Cohen 67 var.; RCV 10641 var.; Göbl 1619f var.
This is might be more undersized than oversized? I think it is a sestertius - based on the size of the die-work - and what it looks like in hand. In diameter, the flan is big at 32 mm, but it is very thin and weighs only 13.7 grams. Sestertius on a dupondius flan? The flan crack might indicate something went wrong at the mint. It is obviously brassy, thanks to a harsh cleaning, thus the possibility it is a dupondius flan: Faustina I Æ Sestertius (Struck on dupondius flan?) 3rd Phase, part 2: wedding of Faustina II to M. Aurelius (c. 145-150 A.D.) Rome Mint [DIVA] FAVSTINA, draped bust right / AVGV[ST]A S-C, Ceres standing left with short torch and corn ears. RIC 1118; Cohen 88. (13.70 grams / 32 mm) eBay May 2018 Lot @ $13.00 Along the same lines, here is a Severus Alexander as that looks like an as in terms of the size of the bust, legends, etc., but is on an over-sized flan. This seems to characterize some of SA's middle bronzes, from what I've seen in other posts. @Roman Collector is very informative here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/severus-alexanders-dupondius-reform-of-ad-228.352318/ Severus Alexander Æ As (c. 222-231 A.D.) Rome Mint IMP CAES M AVR SEV ALEX[ANDER AVG] laureate, draped, bust right / LIBERALITAS AVGVST SC, Liberalitas standing left, holding coin counter and cornucopiae. RIC 569. (14.70 grams / 27 x 25 mm) eBay Feb. 2020 Lot @ $1.50
Weight and size control of non-precious metal coins was often poor. I find that Antoniniani of Probus are often oversized. Here is an example from my collection. IMP PROBVS AVG // SOL INVICTO - R star epsilon
