A rare Domitian. No...its not a Minerva

This coin is a group one Domitian denarius issued in his first few months as Augustus in 81 CE. Domitian's first coins as Augustus are carry overs from Titus' denarii. This included the ubiquitous Pulvinar series. There is mystery concerning these Domitian denarii. Usually one can figure out the chronology of the coins from the imperial titles bestowed and or accepted by the ruler. This is not the case for the denarii of groups 1-4. James Hazelton on his blog has an interesting theory regarding the chronology on his excellent blog. https://hazeltoncoll.com/article.ph...domitians-accepted-dies-comitialis/lH5nhNJbF8

James also has a post on this coin. https://hazeltoncoll.com/article.ph...itian-denarius-ric-2-festina-lente/chwxNRy89s
James claims that this coin is not a Pulvinar issue at all.

This is not a coin one sees very often. I know James has one and I know that @David Atherton has one as well. When I saw this pop up I had to buy it. I might have wished for a coin in better condition, but when you deal with rarities you sometimes have to accept what the market provides.









Domitian, Denarius, 81 Rome (Group 1)
Obv: Laureate head of Domitian right., IMP CAESAR DOMITIANVS AVG
Rev: Dolphin coiled around anchor.,TR P COS VII
RIC:2,
Purchased from Numiscorner on Vcoins
February 23, 2019

 

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there is no PP good find

 

That type from group 1 is fairly rare, it took me a while to obtain one. Glad to see you did!

 

Thanks @David Atherton . I am really enjoying tracking these down. It is definitely a learning process.

 

A great find. I saw it and didn't look close enough. I thought I already had one, I was wrong

 

Wow Jay, nice group 3 denarius! Another nice rarity. RIC 26.

 

Here is a new photo

 

Andrew, no disrespect intended, but what are you shooting with? I ask because I think you can get a much better shot of such a great coin. I suspect the dealer shot is much closer to the actual look of the coin in hand.

I've always been into photography, but never macro photography. Since getting into coins about 20 years ago, I realized I had to up my game and buy a macro lens. I now enjoy shooting my coins almost as much as finding a new Flavian There's always a new set up or lighting I want to try.

Some people aren't into the photography part of it, but for me it's just an extention of the hobby. But you know I love your collection, especially seeing it in person!

 

Hi Jay,

At the moment I am using an iPhone and then I crop the photos and join them. My camera broke several weeks ago and I have not had time to do the research and find a new one. I am seriously thinking of a Nikon 3500.

When I had the other camera (an Olympus with Macro and Super macro capability) I started working on my photography skills but there is only so much I can do with an iPhone balanced on a glass.

You are correct about the photo, the seller's version is much closer to how the actual coins looks.

 

I'm using a Sony a6000. Compact camera with changeable lenses. But I've always been partial to Sony.

 

Is that a mirrorless? I have thought about one of those. I like the Nikon J5.

 

Yup

 

Nice!