I am very happy to have landed this one. @David Atherton bought one a few months ago snd I have been waiting for one to show up in trade. I warn you now many may find this post boring. I mean what is to like about yet another Minerva denarius for Domitian? The auction house misattributed this coin. I believe that at least half of my coins of Domitian have been misattributed, and some of those by major auction houses. It is almost as if Minerva is putting people into a trance so that they do not see the details properly. This one is fairly tricky. The normal obverse legend for many of the Minerva denarii is IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM PM TRP...The legend of this one uses DOMITIANVS in the legend instead. It is understandable that it was missed in the attribution process. I am aware of only 3 others of this type. One is owned by David, one is the RIC reference coin, and one more was sold by Heritage. I know the condition could be better but one takes what the market offers. I would rather have this one than not have one at all. Post your favorite coin of Domitian. Domitian (81-96). AR Denarius, 88-89. ( 19.00 mm. 3.39 g.) Obv. Head right, laureate; IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG GERM P M TR P VIII Rev. Minerva standing right on rostral column, holding spear and shield; at feet, owl; IMP XVII COS XIIII CENS PP P RIC 658. Lightly toned. Good VF. EX: Artemide Aste E-Live Auction 17, March 27, 2021 Lot 380
It's always a fun experience to pick up an unappreciated rarity at auction. Well done, @Orfew! I picked up one coin from the auction too -- a sestertius of Faustina II with a stephaned bust -- but that's the subject of a Faustina Friday and not this Flavian thread. This one is my favorite coin of Domitian because it has perhaps the nicest portraits of any provincial coins in my collection. Domitian, AD 81-96, and Domitia, AD 82-96. Roman provincial Æ 24 mm, 9.45 g. Cilicia, Anazarbus, city year 112 = AD 93/4. Obv: ΑΥΤΟ ΚΑΙ ΘΕ ΥΙ ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΕ ΓΕΡ, laureate head of Domitian, right; behind, star. Rev: ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΩΝ ΔΟΜΕΤΙΑ ⳞΕΒΑⳞΤΗ, ΙΒ-Ρ (in field), draped bust of Domitia, left. Refs: RPC II 1749; SNG France 2019-20; BMC 9; Ziegler 76 (obv 1/rev 3); SNG Levante 1374. Notes: Double die match to RPC specimen (Roma Numismatics XVIII, 29 Sept. 2019, lot 758 (ex Künker 236, 7 Oct. 2013, lot 1025)) and the SNG Levante plate coin.
A wonderful coin., @Roman Collector. It looks extremely similar to my Domitian/Domitia from Anazarbus: Domitian and Domitia, AE 22.7, 93/94 AD, Cilicia, Anazarbus. Obv. Laureate head of Domitian to right, AYTO KAI ΘΕ YI ΔOMITIANOC CE ΓEP around from upper right / Rev. Draped bust of Domitia left, date IB P (= Year 112, = 93/94 AD)* across fields, star behind head, KAICAPEΩN ΔOMETIA CEBACTH around from lower left. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. II 1749; RPC Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/2/1749 ; SNG Levante 1367 [Levante, E., Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Switzerland I, Levante-Cilicia (Zurich, 1986)], BMC 21 Lycaonia, Anazarbus 9 p. 32 [Hill, G.F., A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Greek Coins of Lycaonia, Isauria, and Cilicia (London, 1900)]. 22.7 mm., 10.09 g. (Purchased from Zuzim Inc, Brooklyn, NY Jan. 2021; exported from Israel 2016 pursuant to IAA [Israel Antiquities Authority] Export License No. 531619, April 17, 2016.) (Double die-match[?] to RPC II 1749, specimen no. 16; see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/2/1749.) *Year 1 of era was 19 BCE, date of founding of Anazarbus after visit of Augustus. I notice that we both have our specimens as RPC II 1749, and as double die matches to specimen 16 of that number. But we seem to have different BMC and SNG Levante numbers -- I don't have access to the second, and don't remember whether I double-checked the reference to the first.
Here's the listing in BMC Cilicia, p. 32. We both list ours as BMC 9, though you claim we have different BMC numbers: SNG Levante 1374 is coin no. 6 in the RPC listing for the coin.
Sorry, of course you're right about BMC -- I was stupidly looking at the volume number instead of the coin number! I found my SNG Levante number here: https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=40245 In any event, do you think our two coins are die matches?
A special coin, congrats! I was outbid on this one, but I'm glad it ended up in a good Flavian collection. This is one of my favorites: Domitian 81-96 AD AR Denarius Struck 86 AD (second issue) IMP•CAES DOMIT AVG•GERM P M TR P V. laureate head right IMP•XII COS XII CENS•P•P•P• Minerva standing right on capital of rostral column, holding spear and shield, owl at foot right (M2) 2,88g/20,5mm Ric 437 (R) Ex Historische Münzen & Medaillen
Although I managed to add a Domitian denarius, I am not 100% happy with it, so my favorite Domitian remains this Sestos: Thrace. Sestos. Domitian AD 81-96. Bronze Æ 16 mm., 3,84 g. https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/2/359 Obverse inscription: ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑ-ΝΟϹ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ Obverse design: laureate head of Domitian, r. Reverse inscription: ϹΗϹΤΙWΝ Reverse design: lyre Reference - Cop 948, Moushmov 5542 I like the overall look and the reverse type.
