The Usurper Domitius Domitianus

287, Lot: 472. Estimate $750. Sold for $1500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Domitius Domitianus. Usurper, AD 297-298. Æ Follis (24mm, 9.43 g, 12h). Alexandria mint, 2nd officina. Laureate head right / Genius standing left, holding patera and cornucopia; at feet to left, eagle standing left, head right; B//ALE. RIC VI 20 var. (eagle with wreath in beak). Good Fine, green patina. Rare.

The revolt of Domitius Domitianus in Egypt destabilized a vitally strategic region by interrupting the grain supply to Rome and opening the possibility of Persian (Sasanian) invasion. For almost a year, Domitianus controlled Alexandria and its mint, striking aurei and folles, as well as a series of pre-reform imperial Greek denominations.