ROMAN EMPIRE, Domitian, Denarius

Silver denarius,20.5mm, 3.5g, Rome late 85 A.D., RIC-, BMC-, RSC-, Carradice- (85.6)
IMP·CAES·DOMIT·AVG·GERM·P·M·TR·P·V· laureate head right
IMP·XI·COS·XI·CENS·P·P·P·, Minerva 2

IMP number change caused by the victory of Agricola in Britain or perhaps an uncertain victory in Germania. Also, this is the period when the Dacians crossed the frozen Danube and defeated the governor Oppius Sabinus.

The current references list only two Minerva reverse types for this date: Minerva 1 and Minerva 4. The type in the picture appeared for the first time in the Sacra Moneta-Galata sale from September 1987 - different dies . The coin here is the second known to T.V. Buttrey, Ian Carradice and David Sear. Within this issue the last usual Minerva type (Minerva 3) is yet to be discovered.