I finally got a denarius! :)

Hey guys, I just wanted to share my first ever purchase of a Roman denarius.

I wanted to start by getting the "Five Good Emperors" mentioned by Edward Gibbon in his magnum opus "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire".

Those 5 Emperors are: Trajan, Hadrian, Nerva, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius.

“Edward Gibbon named Hadrian among the Empire's "Five Good Emperors", a "benevolent dictator"; Hadrian's own Senate found him remote and authoritarian. He has been described as enigmatic and contradictory, with a capacity for both great personal generosity and extreme cruelty and driven by insatiable curiosity, self-conceit, and ambition.

Well this one is Hadrian so it definitely fits the criteria for what I am looking for and I really like the toning colors on it. They give it a beautiful aged look in my opinion.“

The scratches on the obverse seem to be on the NGC holder rather than the coin itself.

Next up I think I'm going to get a denarius of Trajan or Nerva.

A denarius of Marcus Aurelius is last for sure since his are always the most expensive.

 

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That is a gorgeous coin! I too love the toning!

 

Thanks I think the toning is what caused me to bid on this AU one rather than some of the bright silver ones.

Sometimes I think toning looks great and other times not so great.

 

That portrait is superb. Congrats! That is a great entry into collecting Roman denarii.

 

Thanks . I agree the portrait looks great!

I can even read the letters on the edge.

“IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANUS AUG”

I probably paid more than I should have but oh well xD

 

In one wise man's words "The quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten"

 

Great portrait with full obverse legends. Congrats!

 

Great coin!

 

I just posted one I inherited almost 2 years ago that fell through the cracks. Yours looks like it is in much better condition, wear wise, than mine...purty durn co-inky-dinky that we both posted one on the same day. Nice acquisition!...Spark

 

FINAL WARNING...ancient coins are addictive

 

Very nice coin. Congrats!

 

Yeah for sure! xD

After this denarius and my Athenian tetradrachm last week I think it’ll be a while before I can afford another.

But I still keep my eyes open.

 

I collect Hadrian, and am jelly! That obverse really pops! Nice portrait details and fine work on the legends. Great piece!

 

Thanks . Just Hadrians? Or do you collect others too?

 

Congrats! Nice portrait, lovely toning. Four more to go...

I picked up my Hadrian from Alexandria not too long ago. Usually, Alexandrian tets
are of poor artistic quality and shabby silver (billon), but this one was a pleasant exception. The relief is the highest I've ever seen on a Roman coin and rivals the best Greeks I have.

 

I have a few other roman coins, Republican era and later Roman Roman folles and a siliqua here and there. However my favourite pieces and my Roman collection focus is Hadrian. I love his travel series. He had a long and relatively peaceful reign. There are a ton of issues both from the mint in Rome and other provincial mints.

 

Good reason to crack it out!! Although any reason is a good reason, really.

 

Nah I actually like having them in holders.

It's easy to stack them and I don't have to worry about dropping them or accidently damaging them.

But I do understand some people like them cracked out so they can touch it and examine it more closely.

 

one of my favourite Denarii, not particularly rare, but I love this depiction of Minerva:

 

My favorite Emperor is Marcus Aurelius. Sadly his denarii are the most expensive compared to the rest.

Marcus Aurelius was a great Emperor and a philosopher.

His biggest mistake was passing down the Emperorship to his son Commodus.

Commodus was awful.