Today I got #2 of the Twelve Caesars

For a while I’ve been keeping my eye out for nice examples of the first Twelve Caesar’s (at a reasonable price) and today I managed to win this pretty decent denarius of Vespasian ^_^.

I bid on a Tiberius too but the price went way above what I was willing to bid for it.

Now I have Domitian and Vespasian. Only 10 more to go!

I really like the strong strike and decent centering of this denarius.

Oh and I really love the rainbow toning above his diadem. <3

(NGC & HA photos)




Vespasian (AD 69-79). AR denarius (17mm, 3.41 gm, 5h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 4/5. Rome, AD 70. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head of Vespasian right / COS ITER-TR POT, Pax seated left, branch upward in outstretched right hand, transverse caduceus in left. RIC II.1 29.

 

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Nice, I watched the Auction to get a Commodus

 

Oh cool did you win it? I need another Commodus myself since I don’t really like mine. It just looked better in the pictures when I bought it :/.

I was surprised at how high some of the prices went.

 

I really like it. It has a great portrait.

 

Commodus will present an interesting decision. His popular coins are from late in the reign when he was showing crazy tendencies but many of them are poorly made compared to some of the earlier ones when he was more 'normal'. Which do you want? Pretty or wild? These six are all different in some way but they all are Commodus. Being a 'one per' collector requires making choices.

 

Thanks Donna . I agree!

One thing I've noticed is that the earlier Emperors seem to usually (not always) have much better struck coins.

I wonder if maybe it's because they are higher purity silver and silver is softer than copper which was used in increasing amounts in later coins. Like maybe the increasing copper in later coins made them harder to strike or something.

 

Very nice! Here's my humble COS ITER TR POT.

 

Well this is the one I have:




But one day I’d like to get one like this:



It’s not because one is him as a young man and the other is him as a middle age man but more about the lack of luster in the one I have.

The coin I have just looks dull and flat. If that makes sense?

 

Nice one Roman! What year was that minted?

According to the HA listing my Vespasian denarius was minted in 70 AD which was right at the beginning of his reign. Not sure how they would know that though xD.

I’m trying to get the Emperor’s denarii in the highest grade I can afford since there’s not really that many of them (from Augustus to Elagabalus where I’m focused) and it keeps me busy looking for good examples at fair prices.

Some people have told me that I could save a lot of money by just getting them in F or VF grade and I understand why people do that but just for me personally I want to have nice examples even if it costs me a lot more. Just a personal preference.

I get a lot more joy saving up for one really nice example of a denarius than I do if I saved up and bought a bunch.

Everyone else may not agree and I can’t explain why I feel that way but I just do.

 

I have a much humbler version of the Pax with branch and winged caduceus. One of my first denarii.
Still one of the coins that impressed me when I first saw it and I consider the portrait pleasant

 

Thanks Marco!

I’m a Capricorn myself as well and I definitely agree with you that yours has a more appealing reverse. The reverse on mine is kind of standard issue and many Emperors seemed to love to use a similar design so it’s not particularly unique.

On the other hand when I was looking at denarii to bid on for my collection I had to remember that the number 1 focus of my collection is different Emperors during the Pax Romana and so it’s the portrait of the Emperor that I place top priority in.

This coin has a weird bit of metal at the edge and I think it would look better if that was removed but I am absolutely going to leave it because I’m sure if I shaved it off it would probably be considered detrimental to the coin itself.

So I guess it’s stuck with the odd shape even if it would look better without the extra slag.

One thing is for sure though: this is the most expensive denarius in my collection.

 

Nice one! It looks like the same one as mine!

 

I guess it’s a reminder that these coins were all struck by hand rather than coinage today struck by machine that can make every single coin identical in shape, size and weight to the 100th of a gram.

 

Yeah for sure. I mean if the reverse was something I really didn’t like or had serious problems with damage or something like that I would definitely pass up on it.

But in this case I feel the reverse is still somewhat appealing and definitely doesn’t look damaged or unattractive. It’s just kind of standard issue xD

 

It is the same RIC number indeed.
Funny thing is that in that lot (of 8 denarii) there were 2 other Vespasian coins, also with Pax. Low grade but I was extremely pleased as they were my first Vespasian coins. (initially, as a total beginner, I thought all 3 are the same but it was the first time when I saw coins with counter clockwise legend). These coins are the same RIC number but on the first one the branch is worn.
Different dies, of course.
I tried to make sure the first one is indeed 772 but the only other denarius with laureate head, somebody seated and the reverse legend ending in [...]X TRP COS VI is 774, but on that one Securitas is resting head on raised arm.





AD 75
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right.
PON MAX TR P COS VI
Type: Pax, naked to waist, seated left, holding branch extended in right hand, left hand in lap
RIC 772 Rome

These 2 coins and the one I posted earlier have nothing special, but it was for me a nice start and made me want to develop a Denarii collection.
... and for the price of 13 EUR each including fees you can't ask more.