The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei Part I
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Domitian, 81 – 96
Aureus 88-89, AV 7.60 g. DOMITIANVS – AVGVSTVS Laureate head r. Rev. GERMANICVS COS XIIII Germania seated r. on shield, in attitude of mourning; below, broken spear. C 148. BMC 143. RIC 127. CBN 133. Calicó 838.
A superb portrait of fine style and a finely engraved reverse composition perfectly
struck and centred on a very large flan. Extremely fine / good extremely fine
Provenance
From the inventory of Robert Kokotailo – Calgary Coin Gallery (Alberta, Canada), sold on 5 May 2003.

Domitian harboured an inferiority complex toward his brother and father. In the matter of military glory, the jealousy was acute: his brother had led the siege of Jerusalem, and his father had led most of the war in Judaea, and had won much glory in his earlier years, including a triumphia ornamentalia for his command in Claudius’ invasion of Britain. Domitian had always been eager for a military command, and Suetonius (Domitian 1) tells us that when his father established his government in Rome, Domitian wanted glory so badly that he "planned a quite unnecessary expedition into Gaul and Germany, from which his father’s friends managed to dissuade him". In actuality, his skills in the art of war were enviable: he is said to have been able to shoot an arrow between the spread fingers of a hand without fail. His first campaign – which this well-composed issue celebrates – was against the Chatti in 83. Domitian led a perfectly successful campaign in which the Chatti were roundly defeated and the Roman border was extended beyond the Rhine. In honour of this victory Domitian was hailed Germanicus, won a triumph, and even had an arch erected. The series of coins he struck for several years are especially beautiful and imaginative compared with the rather pedestrian issues of his later years.