A gold Domitian aureus dating to around AD 81-96 is selling at Stack's Bowers.

Bidding is expected to reach $25,000-30,000 by the close date of August 12.

The Roman emperor Domitian instigated a currency reform during his reign

It was produced during the reign of the emperor Flavius Domitian and shows his portrait on the front.

The goddess Minerva appears on the reverse holding a spear and a thunderbolt.

While perhaps not the most exciting Roman ruler, Domitian did institute a number of policies that consolidated the empire's power.  

One was the revaluation of the old coinage.

He ordered older, impure coins (which had gold and silver content as low as 88%) to be melted down and reminted at an average 98% purity level.

This shored up the currency's value and went some way to reversing the decline in the value of the denarius (Rome's principal coin), which had been ongoing since the end of the 1st century BC.

His reign wasn't without its rough patches though, and in AD 96 Domitian was brutally murdered in a plot allegedly led by his housekeeper Parthenius.

A gold aureus of Septimius Severus is valued at $20,000-25,000.

Issued circa AD 193-211, the coin is particularly notable for its depiction of Severus' wife Julia Domna and their two sons Geta and Caracalla on the reverse.

Interested in building your own coin collection? Take a look in our store.  

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