I love to search for rarities in unknown places. That was rewarded a few weeks ago, when I found this very rare Domitian denarius. It concerns a denarius from the first months (possibly weeks) of Domitian's reign. This coin is rare for two reasons, firstly because it contains the legend PONT. Second, because it contains a rare reverse legend, namely: P P COS VII DES VIII. This is the fourth or fifth example known. Domitian 81-96 AR Denarius Struck 81 AD IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PONT Head of Domitian, laureate. P P COS VII DES VIII Seat, draped; above, semicircular frame decorated with three crescents 3,46g/18mm Ric 16 (R2) If you want more information on Domitian's 81 denarii check out this thread by @Orfew https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-first-year-denarii-of-domitian.345758/ When I have time I try to take better pictures.
Congrats on an enviable purchase! I really like your coin. I am always on the look out for these PONT denarii. Many of them have very interesting portraits. By the way it is also interesting to note that your coin is a group 2 denarius from 81 CE. There are 12 denarii in the group (that is every coin in the group). Ten of these are PONT denarii. Your portrait is quite nice. The portraits from 81 CE greatly vary. Some are very nice but others are just very strange looking, Some really emphasize that Flavian nose in all its glory. Congrats again, that is a great capture!
The story with this coin needs an update. I found out that it is not Ric 16 but Ric 14. The difference is in a tiny detail. Ric 16 has three crescents on the semicircular frame, Ric 14 has corn ears on the semicircular frame. You can see the difference here: Ric 14: Ric 16: (from the collection of @David Atherton) Both types are very rare. Four or five examples of Ric 16 are known. I only found two other examples of Ric 14. The British museum has one, on Acsearch.info I also found an example that has been auctioned several times. Ric's authors cite only the British museum specimen. So my example of Ric 14 is probably only the third known. It is unlikely that more examples will appear soon. All known specimens are from the same dies.
Great score, and added rarity bonus. An example that eye for detail and carefull study is worth the time and effort!
