An Eastern mint denarius for Domitian

Domitian as Caesar 76 CE Uncertain mint

Obv: CAE[SAR AVG F DOMITIANVS Head laureate r

Rev: COS IIII; Pegasus

RIC: 1494 (R2)

Ex: From the Eardley and Ethel Madsen Collection, co-publishers, along with David R Sear, of the Journal of the Society for Ancient Numismatics from 1969-2002. 

Ex: Marc Breitsprecher February 2024

Here's a nice rarity for Domitian. The Rome mint Pegasus coin for Domitian is relatively common (RIC 921), this one is not common at all. The portrait on the obverse is exceptional! I love these Eastern mint portraits of Domitian. This type is often referred to as an 'o' mint denarius. There is an 'o' under the neck truncation near the bottom of the flan, and on the right-hand side. What this means is unclear.RIC calls the mint uncertain, which is not much help at all. Some think the mint is Ephesus in present-day Turkey. If it is Ephesus why not use the normal mint marks associated with those coins? While there are certainly similarities in the portrait styles, I dont think this is enough to definitively state that the 'o' mint denarii were struck in Ephesus.

The toning is dark, and that is fine with me. I will not tamper with it at all. I am very pleased with it as it is. I love the motion implied in the depiction of the Pegasus on the reverse. This engraver was clearly very talented. I am very happy to now own the rare and the common Pegasus coins for Domitian.