The Usurper Domitius Domitianus

356, Lot: 585. Estimate $100. Sold for $650. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Domitius Domitianus. Usurper, AD 297-298. Æ Follis (24mm, 8.09 g, 12h). Alexandria mint, 2nd officina. 2nd emission, AD 298. Laureate head right / Genius standing left, holding cornucopia and sacrificing with patera; to left, eagle standing left, head right. RIC VI 20 var. (eagle with wreath in beak). Fair, rough surfaces. 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.