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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;David Atherton, post: 2875579, member: 82616&quot;]We specialist live and die by these so called &#039;grail&#039; coins. They don&#039;t come along very often, but when they do it is a cause for celebration! I&#039;m happy to report that I finally got one of mine. It only took 14 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]688181[/ATTACH] <b>Domitian</b></p><p>AR Denarius, 2.73g</p><p>Rome mint, 95-96 AD</p><p>RIC 816 (R2), BMC 243, RSC, 175</p><p>Obv: DOMITIANVS AVG GERM; Head of Domitian, bare, bearded, r.</p><p>Rev: Temple, eight columns, seated figure in centre; IMP CAESAR on architrave</p><p>Ex Private Collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>Domitian struck a rare undated issue of denarii depicting five different temples. Based on portrait style and the fact that Domitian&#039;s moneyers were experimenting with new reverse designs after 94, the issue has been dated to either 95 or 96. Four of the five temples have been identified - Serapis, Cybele, Minerva, and Capitoline Jupiter. The fifth type is an octastyle temple, seen on the coin above, and its identification remains a mystery. Mattingly conjectured it could be the Temple of Divus Vespasian, P.V. Hill and D. Vagi thought it possibly the Temple of Jupiter Victor, R.H. Darwell-Smith speculated it is the Temple of Jupiter Custos, and M. Tameanko believed it to be the Temple of Divus Augustus. Tameanko makes the strongest case: Earlier renditions of the temple on the coinage under Caligula show it with a hexastyle facade. Domitian restored or rebuilt the temple after the fire of 80. His architect Rabirius may have completely overhauled the building in a more contemporary style producing an octastyle temple. Almost a hundred years later Antoninus Pius restored the temple again and struck a series of coins commemorating the event. His coins indeed depict an octastyle temple very much like the one seen on this denarius and may be additional proof that under Domitian the temple was rebuilt as an octastyle structure. However, until more evidence comes to light, the identification remains uncertain. Like Domitian&#039;s earlier Saecular Games series, the temple denarii were likely struck as a special issue, perhaps reflecting Domitian&#039;s new interest as builder. The remarkable bare headed portrait further enhances the issue as something special. </p><p><br /></p><p>Needless to say it is a fantastically rare piece! Additionally, the eight column type may be the scarcest of the temple group, considering I have located only two other examples in trade over the last 15 years. The other two coins (OldRomanCoins 2002, HJB 145, lot 265) are obverse die matches with mine. Oddly, some specimens (BM 234 for example) lack IMP CAESAR on the architrave. </p><p><br /></p><p>This coin will easily make my 2017 top ten list.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please share your &#039;grail&#039; coins![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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