Denarius - Domitian TP P COS VII

Domitian's earliest denarii as Augustus date to the final months of 81, immediately following Titus's death in September. This issue — carrying his seventh consulship — belongs to that first burst of production from the Rome mint asserting his new authority. He had waited years in his brother's shadow, and the coinage from this transitional moment reflects the administrative machinery of the mint catching up with a political reality that arrived faster than anyone expected.

RIC II.1 #5 is among the earliest reference points in Domitian's lengthy solo reign, which would eventually run to 96 AD.