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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;David Atherton, post: 4650511, member: 82616&quot;]I&#039;ve had a hunch for some time that the so called &#039;imperial&#039; and &#039;senatorial&#039; mints (at least during the late First Century) were not separate entities. Almost certainly the senatorial mint was either controlled by the emperor or appointed senators carrying out the palace&#039;s bidding. However, I recently acquired a Domitian sestertius that I believe also demonstrates the precious metal and bronze coinages were actually produced from the same workshops, or at the very least shared the same workers.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1148499[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Domitian</b></p><p>Æ Sestertius, 25.13g</p><p>Rome mint, 95-96 AD</p><p>Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XVII CENS PER P P; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r.</p><p>Rev: IOVI VICTORI; S C in exergue; Jupiter std. l., with Victory and sceptre</p><p>RIC 794 (C). BMC 474. BNC 504.</p><p>Acquired from London Ancient Coins, July 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>A common seated Jupiter type from Domitian&#039;s last bronze issue. Just like the silver and gold, Domitian&#039;s aes coinage from the mid 80s onwards settled down to a few predicable reverse types. The Sestertii were dominated by Victory crowning the emperor and the seated Jupiter with Victory. &#039;Jupiter the giver of Victory&#039; was not only an important propaganda type but also one that was closely associated with Domitian. This sestertius is imprecisely dated between 95-96 because Domitian did not take up the consulship in 96.</p><p><br /></p><p>The style is very similar to the contemporaneous denarius issues. As a matter of fact, the denarius pictured below appears to be engraved by the same hand as the above sestertius. The style is identical, even down to the rounded portrait and &#039;eyes to heaven&#039; gaze.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1148501[/ATTACH]</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><b>Domitian</b></p><p>AR Denarius, 3.27g</p><p>Rome mint, 95 AD</p><p>Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P XIIII; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r.</p><p>Rev: IMP XXII COS XVII CENS P P P; Minerva adv r., with spear and shield (M1)</p><p>RIC 770 (C2). BMC 222. RSC 288. BNC 199.</p><p>Ex Dionysos Numismatik, eBay, April 2014.</p><p><br /></p><p>&#039;S.C.&#039; (Senatus Consultum) was in name only and coins bearing that inscription were likely produced at the same mint or workshops as the &#039;imperial&#039; precious metal issues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please share any coins you believe may, or indeed may not, back up the above theory.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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