Quadrans S C, Apollo

Domitian issued this small bronze denomination — effectively the lowest coin in daily Roman commerce — during a period when his grip on the principate had grown visibly authoritarian. The quadrans saw renewed imperial attention under the Flavians partly as a tool of public munificence; Domitian distributed them during the Saturnalia, a practice documented by Martial, who received such coins himself and was unimpressed by the gift.

The SC notation reflects senatorial authority over base-metal coinage, a constitutional fiction that persisted long after the senate had any real say in minting decisions.