Sale: Triton VIII, Lot: 1012. Estimate $5000.  Closing Date: Monday, 10 January 2005.  Sold For $5000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

DOMITIAN. As Caesar, 69-81 AD. Æ Sestertius (28.14 gm, 8h). Thracian mint. Struck 80-81 AD. CAES DIVI AVG VESP F DOMITIAN COS VII, laureate head right / S C across field, Minerva advancing right, brandishing spear and shield. Cf. RIC II 157a (Titus); RPC II -; cf. BMCRE 232 (Titus); cf. BN 240; Cohen -; cf. Classical Numismatic Group 66 (19 May 2004), lot 1413 (same obverse die). EF, olive and brown patina with traces of green, flan crack. Bold portrait. ($5000)

From the Michael Weller Collection. Ex David Tong Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 61, 25 September 2002), lot 1711; Birkler & Waddell 1 (7 December 1979), lot 314.

Although this type was also struck at Rome, the style and the fabric suggest a Thracian origin. The massive portrait bears a strong resemblance to published examples from the region (cf. RPC II 526), and the lack of concavity in the flan is more consistent with the known Thracian issues.