Hi All,
I was thrilled to win these 3 in the mail bid sale held yesterday by Jesus Vico from Spain. there was no live bidding in this one so a different strategy was necessary. It simply involved bidding the highest you were willing to pay and then waiting to see if it was enough. I am happy to say that I bid on 3 and won all 3.
I bought the first coin because I had not seen a Salus denarius before for Domitian. I really like the portrait on this one and the full legends do not hurt either. Though definitely not excessively rare, this is the first one I have had the opportunity to bid on.
Domitian. Denarius. Rome 82-83 CE .
Obv: head laureate r; IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PM
Rev: Salvs std l with corn ears and poppy; SALVS AVGVST.
RIC-145 (R)
Jesus Vico Mail bid auction # 153 Lot 3135 March 7, 2019
Yes, the second coin is a Minerva, but not an ordinary one. The reverse legend makes this special. Note that the legend states CENS POT PP and not CENS P PP. I missed out on 2 of this type (not the same RIC number because the Minerva poses were different than this one) in the last 2 weeks and finally landed one for myself. The coin is rare but not as rare as other legend variations such as "CENSORIA POTESTAT" and "CENS POTES". According to RIC the fineness of the denarii was reduced to post reform Neronian standards between the "CENS POTES" and "CENS POT" issues. This supposedly took place between April and September of 85 CE.
Domitian. Denarius. Rome 85 CE. (Fifth Issue)
Obv: Head laureate r; IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM PM TR P V
Rev: Minvera advancing r with spear and shield; IMP VIIII COS XI CENS POT PP
RIC-342 (R2)
Jesus Vico Mail bid auction # 153 Lot 3136 March 7, 2019
As far as I am concerned I am saving the best for last. I have wanted this type since I saw one in @David Atherton 's Forum gallery and on James Hazelton's website on Domitian coinage. One reason I wanted this was the legend variation on the obverse. Note that instead of "GERM" it spells out "GERMANIC". This is a rare variation for Domitian. However the star of the show is the reverse. Notice that instead of the normal legend around the edge it has "CENS PPP" and a Minerva. There is another issue with just "COS XIIII" on the reverse with Minerva. Both of these issues are rare. Stylistically, I love the look of this reverse and wish it had been continued on other issues for Domitian.
Domitian AR Denarius. Rome 88 CE Group 2
Obv: Head laureate r; IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERMANIC COS XIII
Rev: Minerva Minerva stg l with thunderbolt and spear; CENS P.P.P.
RIC-568 (R2) BMC 139 RSC 27
Jesus Vico Mail bid auction # 153 Lot 3133 March 7, 2019
Posted 03/08/2019 2:42 pm
