Sale: CNG 70, Lot: 921. Estimate $500.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 21 September 2005.  Sold For $850. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

DOMITIA, wife of Domitian. Augusta, 82-96 AD. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm (11.06 g, 6h). Ephesus (or Rome) mint. Struck 82 AD. Draped bust right / Venus standing right, leaning on cippus, holding helmet and sceptre. RIC II 230 (Domitian); RPC II 870; BMCRE 256 (Domitian); RSC 19. Near VF, toned. Rare. ($500)

Ex Classical Numismatic Group 60 (22 May 2002), lot 1630.

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.