Domitian AR Denarius 81 CE (Group 4)

Roman empire - Domitian (81-96 AD.) silver denarius

(2.87 g 18 mm). Rome. 81 AD Obv: IMP CAES DOMITANVS AVG PONT, laureate head right Rev: TR P COS VII DES VIII P P, seat, draped, above, a winged thunderbolt placed horizontally. RIC II 40. (R2)

Purchased from Lucernae on Catawiki auctions May 2019

Yes, I know the coin is worn, but I still wanted it. Why would I accept such a coin? The reason is that it is so rare that I might never see another in my lifetime available for sale. Sometime one has to sacrifice condition to availability. Such is the case here.

The reason this coin is so rare because of the obverse legend. Note that the legend does not end in the customary "AVG PM" common on these early coins of Domitian, but instead ends in "AVG PONT". All denarii with "PONT" for Domitian are very rare. If you see one be sure to snap it up as you may not see another for months or years.

The rarity alone was enough reason to own this coin. However, I also like that this coin is part of the very early issues for Domitian as Augustus.