Domitian denarius "snack" coin turns out to be the third specimen known

A few months ago I was putting together an order from a dealer on MA-Shops - a couple different coins. I was looking to see what else they might have interesting, and saw a denarius of Domitian in decent shape, with a non-Minerva reverse. The price was low enough that I figured I could probably sell it later without taking a loss, if I ended up not wanting it. So, I threw it in with the rest of the coins and placed the order.

After a couple weeks the coins arrived, and I gave them all a cursory examination, then put them in the coin cabinet. It was only yesterday, months later, that I finally got around to taking photos and researching attribution (the coins came without description.) I ran into some trouble with the Domitian - I could not seem to find the type online. Part of the problem was that owing to some weakness on part of the obverse legend, I didn't realize at first that it ended in 'PONT'.

But finally I did find an exact match - on ACsearch.info. It turns out that the coin is an extremely rare, early issue of Domitian - so rare, in fact, that up until now only two specimens of the type were recorded - the RIC plate coin (the only one known to Carradice and Buttrey at the time of their 2007 RIC II.1 edition), and the ACSearch coin, which has certainly been around the block! It was formerly owned by Harry N. Sneh, @David Atherton, @Orfew, (A. Short), then sold through CNG in 2022, and acquired then or afterwards by @curtislclay, and then sold again through Harlan J. Berk in September of last year (2023). Berk noted in his listing that the coin was apparently only the second recorded specimen - which makes mine the third. All three coins share the same obverse and reverse die.

DOMITIAN, AD 81-96
AR Denarius (18.77mm, 2.91g, 6h)
Struck September - December, AD 81. Rome mint
Obverse: IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG PONT, laureate head of Domitian right
Reverse: COS VII DES VIII P P, winged thunderbolt on seat draped with fringed cover
References: RIC II 34 (same dies)
An early issue struck under Domitian when he still lacked the full title of 'Pontifex Maximus'. This type is extremely rare, rated R3 in the 2007 RIC II edition. This coin is apparently only the third known to exist, and shares the same dies with the other two known specimens.​

I've learned in my researches that all of Domitian's denarius issues with obverse legends ending with 'PONT' are very rare, struck in the short period of time after his accession to the throne, but before he was officially given the title 'Pontifex Maximus'.

Here is the Ex-Sneh/Atherton/Orfew/CNG/Curtis Clay/Harlan J. Berk coin:

CNG Photo and description:



Domitian. AD 81-96. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.22 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck 13 September-31 December AD 81. IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG PONT, laureate head right / COS VII DES VIII P P, Pulvinar (throne) of Jupiter and Juno: square seat, draped, with tassels, surmounted by a winged thunderbolt. RIC II.1 34 (R3; same dies as illustration); RSC –. Toned, some green deposits. Near VF. Carradice and Buttrey knew of only one specimen at the time they revised the second edition of RIC II.1 in 2007. Very rare.
From the A. Short Collection. Purportedly ex Harry N. Sneh Collection and David Atherton Collection.
Every Domitian denarius that includes PONT in the obverse legend is very rare or extremely rare.

HJB photo and description:



Domitian. Denarius; Domitian; 81-96 AD, Rome, 81 AD, Denarius, 3.22g. RIC-34 (R3), pl. 118 (same dies). Obv: IMP CAESAR DOMITIAN AVG PONT Head laureate r. Rx: COS VII - DES VIII P P Winged thunderbolt on seat with fringed seat cover hanging down. Ex Curtis L. Clay Collection; ex CNG E515, 4 May 2022, 537. Rare early PONT issue, not yet PONT MAX; apparently only the second recorded specimen with this reverse type.. gVF

The same coin is also featured on wildwinds.com, courtesy of @Orfew:



Domitian AR Denarius, AD 81, Rome mint. 3.23 g.
IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG PONT, laureate head right.
COS VII DES VIII P P, winged thunderbolt on a draped chair.
RIC II 34. Not in BMC or RSC.

I'm not sure what I will do with the coin...of course it's cool to have such a rarity (it beats out my Trajan ITALIA REST As), but on the other hand, it would probably be more appreciated in a specialist's collection. I will probably end up selling it eventually. Till then though, the coin will have an (unexpectedly!) special place in my collection.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Outstanding find!

 

Great catch to notice the scarce legend! I remember reading about the Domitians ending in PONT from exactly those collectors in several places. They all (Atherton, Curtis Clay, and Orfew -- showing the coin above) discuss them on a very useful thread here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/pontificating-about-pont-denarii.365395/

I also saw the coin in the Curtis Clay Collection sale at HJB (I bought a different coin from that portion of the Curtis Clay Collection) but would've paid closer attention if I'd realized it was ex-Atherton, Orfew, and Sneh Collections.

(If you feel like passing it on to a specialist, you might as Atherton if he knows anyone who would be interested. If anyone would know, it would be him. He's around most of the main coin Forums and on Youtube & his blog, Flavian Fanatic.)

I bought some others of A. Short/Orfew's Flavian Denarii when he sold them at CNG, including a couple of scarce types:


With some old tags [click thumbnail to "embiggen"]


Of one of them, the Titus Denarius in the bottom right above (larger below), Orfew/A. Short wrote the following (what makes it rare is the lituus under the frame + exactly five palmettes):

"This type will be published in the upcoming RIC II Addenda. This coin is currently the second one known. The other is owned by David Atherton, a collector of Flavian coinage. David Atherton’s coin will be the RIC reference coin."
https://www.academia.edu/45653875/Flyspecking_the_denarii_of_Domitians_first_year_as_Augustus (also the Atherton-Sneh-Orfew-Clay coin).
See also (this coin discussed): Cointalk 337327 ; https://www.historicalancientromanc.../04/titus-ar-denarius-80-ce-january-1-june-30​

RIC II.1 124A (ex-Orfew/Short):



RIC II.1 263 (this coin; ex Clay, JSW, Hall):
Speaking of scarce Flavian Varieties, RIC II.1 "plate coins" and the Curtis Clay Collection, here's the one I mentioned as having picked up (above):



The "CONCOR AVG" legend is rare, especially combined with Vespasian radiate on the Dupondius. In addition to Curtis Clay (and J.S. Wagner), this coin was also in the Henry Platt Hall (1863-1949) Collection, from which a plaster cast was made, and then deposited with Ashmolean Museum (Oxford University). Now the "plate coin" in the new RIC II.1, from a photo of the Hall-Oxford cast. (Also a Wildwinds "Digital Plate Coin" & Romanatic Database 3073.)

My video:

 

Great find and congrats. Never know when a snack ends up turning into a gem.

 

Great coins and provenance, as usual! Two of those Titus types are ones I'd like to get someday (the elephant, and bound captives) Some impressive rarities, too!

I posted this thread over on Numis Forums as well and Atherton posted there that he has managed to acquire another one of these types (RIC 34) for his collection since selling the one back in 2019 - just hasn't updated his collection database yet. So mine may be the fourth recorded specimen. David did tell me his new coin is a double-die match to all the others. I can't wait to see it.

 

Updated.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=185696

In hand.



Congrats on your rare find! As you say, fourth known!