| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 31075 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients Domitian, as Caesar (AD 81-96). AV aureus (19mm, 7.36 gm, 7h). NGC AU 5/5 - 4/5, edge scuffs. Rome, AD 80-81. CAESAR DIVI F DOMITIANVS COS VII, laureate head of Domitian right / PRINCEPS IVVENTVTIS, lit altar adorned with garlands. Calicó 918a (same dies). RIC II.1 (Titus) 265. A phenomenal example from the last of the 12 Caesars, this coin showcases a handsome portrait of Domitian as Caesar, struck on brilliant reflective and amber surfaces. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 101 (24 October 2017), lot 222; H. D. Rauch, Auction 86 (12 May 2010), lot 692; Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 51 (5 March 2009), lot 242; Bourgey (1 February 1995), lot 16. Domitian has gone down in history as a depraved tyrant, but he was certainly not a madman like Caligula, nor was he an incompetent dilettante like Nero. As a young man, Domitian was largely overshadowed by his older brother Titus, a situation that probably shaped his dour, resentful character. In AD 79, Vespasian was succeeded by Titus as Augustus, with Domitian taking the junior position of Caesar. But Titus ruled only two years before he fell ill and died in September of AD 81. Domitian wasted no time in seizing power as the third emperor of the Flavian dynasty. He soon proved a conscientious, detail-oriented administrator who kept a firm hand on all facets of government. Despite his uneven military record, the legions loved Domitian for raising their pay by nearly 50 percent. But Domitian's suspicion of the aristocracy soon deepened into paranoia. Unsuccessful conspiracies against him in AD 87 and 89 caused him to abandon all restraint, and by AD 93 Rome was in the grip of a reign of terror. Even Domitian's wife came to fear for her life, and she encouraged the emperor's personal attendants to plot against him, leading to his murder in AD 96. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-domitian-as-caesar-ad-81-96-av-aureus-19mm-736-gm-7h-ngc-au-5-5-4-5-edge-scuffs/a/3115-31075.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 8000-12000 USD |  |
