CNG 90, Lot: 1516. Estimate $500. Sold for $400. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Domitian. AD 81-96. AR Cistophorus (25mm, 10.85 g, 6h). Ephesus mint (or Rome for circulation in Asia). Struck AD 82. Laureate head right / Temple of Capitoline Jupiter. RIC II 841; RPC 864; RSC 23. VF, toned, minor flan flaw on obverse, traces of deposits on reverse.

While no decisive evidence exists for the location of the mint of the cistophori during the reigns of Vespasian through Trajan, the style, legends, and, in particular, the consistent die axis point to Rome, suggesting that these coins were minted in the capital and then sent to Asia for local use.