Hi all,
This is the second
denarius I've managed to obtain from the short coinage reform of
Domitian which lasted from 83-85, when the silver
fineness was raised back to 100%. More importantly, this coin is
part of the series which introduced Domitian's four main
Minerva reverse types. This one shows
Minerva advancing right, with spear and
shield (M1).
RIC II 162, and apparently unlisted in the 1962 version of
RIC II.
Weight is 3.35 g and
die axis is 6h.
The fields show some corrosion but the details of the coin are
still sharp and crisp. I especially like the attention given to Minerva's legs: the design of one
leg was cut a
bit deeper in the die so that both legs have different amounts of relief on the coin. This gives a nice 3D impression.
With the addition of this
reverse I'm now missing M2 and M4 to
complete the initial run of
Minerva types. Hopefully they will turn up someday.
