I managed to add 2 more first year Domitian denarii today. The first one is a RIC 67 and is a group 4 denarius. It is a scarce coin but not horribly rare. The second one was my main target and I was prepared to go much higher than my original bid. It is a rare group 3 denarius from 81 CE. Note that the reverse legend does not list TR P even though we know that TR P is a title that would have been awarded as a result of Domitian's ascension to Augustus. The reason for its absence is a mystery for those who collect these denarii. One thing I really like about these first year denarii is that the portraits are interesting. In many cases these denarii show Domitian in an unpolished light. Later portraits make adjustments to the nose and result in more idealized portraits. Domitian AR Denarius 81 CE (Group 4) (18 mm., 2. 83 g.) Obv: IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PM; Head laureate right Rev: TR P COS VII DES VIII P P ; Seat draped, above semicircular frame decorated with three crescents. RIC 67 Savoca 29th Blue Auction February 23, 2020. Lot 1237. Lot 1228 Domitian AR Denarius 81 CE (Group 3) (19 mm., 3.12 g.) Obv: IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PM; Head laureate right Rev: COS VII DES VIII P P ; Seat draped, above winged thunderbolt RIC 36 Savoca 29th Blue Auction February 23, 2020. Lot 1237
Nice catch @Orfew! I was unfortunately outbid on two targets. Bidding felt strong this time. I was also going for the alexandria type of Hadrian. Three appeared in auctions last weeks, but i was outbid 3 times. Guess I need to step up the game for this type, which i could not for now. I wonder if anyone on this board was able to obtain this highly desirable type.
There's a lot of Vespasian's face in those imo, maybe a carry over as a result of habit on the part of the die cutters? Nice coins.
I missed out on this one. Hopefully I will learn about it earlier and have some time to bid. Nice acquisitions @Orfew!
Nice pickups! I was too preoccupied with the Leu auction (and also real life stuff) to make any serious bids on Savoca. They had some amazing and extremely rare Sassanian drachms of Balash, brother of Peroz - I bid on the best one and got stomped down; the rest went cheap of course. I almost pulled the trigger on the Domitian as Caesar right before your second one, but the worst thing is to win a $25 coin and then have to pay $20 to get it shipped.
I won my two main targets from Savoca. The Septimius Severus denarius went higher than I had hoped, but I really wanted it. The Basel pfennig, on the other hand, was kind of a bargain – I was prepared to pay quite a bit more for this one. Well, I assume that this is kind of a niche coin that only die-hard medieval collectors will get excited about...
The coins arrived today and I am very pleased with them. They are better than the auction photos. Here are my updated photos. I love the nose on the first one.
I was lucky to get this Trajan sestertius from the most recent Savoca auction. I had one of this type in an earlier collection which has since been sold. I'm trying to slowly replace coin types I had earlier. Trajan (Augustus) Coin: Brass Sestertius IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P - Laureate and draped bust right. IMPERATOR VIIII/ S C - Trajan seated right on high platform on left, raising hand haranguing soldiers: by him stand two officers, to right on the ground stands an officer right, holding spear addressing six soldiers, one of them holding a horse by the bridle; three signa in back Exergue: SC Mint: Rome (114-116 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 24.83g / 33mm / 6h References: RIC II 658 Woytek 549v Banti 80 BMCRE 1018 Provenances: Savoca Coins Acquisition/Sale: Savoca Coins Internet 41st Silver Auction #301 $0.00 02/20 Notes: Feb 23, 20 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection