Domitian AR Denarius (81 CE) (Group 4)

Domitian AR denarius 81 CE (Group 4)

Obv: IMP CAES DIVI VESP F DOMITIAN AVG PM; Head laureate right

Rev: TR P COS VII DES VIII P P; Seat draped above winged thunderbolt.

RIC 72 (R2).

Zeus Numismatics Prime 1 Lot 282 November 17, 2019

I never thought I would own 1 of this coin type, never mind 2. Until the last few months I had not seen any of this type come to market in the last 4 years. The strange thing is that now 4 have turned up-all within a few months. 2 of these have appeared in Heritage auctions. I also own one of these Heritage coins.

This is an interesting and rare type. It is interesting because of the rare obverse legend. This legend does not occur often on Domitian's coins as emperor. This coin is also very darkly toned with some very nice contrast.

This coin is yet another example of an auction housed that has misattributed a denarius of Domitian. I deliberately look for misattributed coins of Domitian and have been rewarded with some very rare finds as a result. This is a case where the investment in the most relevant references is well worth it.