The Roman Republic is fascinating. Those guys had balls of steel. :B One thing I find interesting is that the Quadrigatus is almost a perfect circle yet later when they minted denarii they could never get it a perfect circle.
I think my favorites are the Parthian (no surprise there), the Marcus Aurelius (that portrait is so sharp, you could cut yourself) and the Faustina with reverse of the royal babies high-giving each other. He is the Great King of Kings! Brother of the Sun and the Moon! You expect him to be all warm and cuddly? My favorite "evil" Parthian portrait is on some of the drachms of Phraates IV (38-2 BC): He murdered his own father to hasten his succession to the throne, then had all his brothers killed to make sure there would be no rivals. And on this coin, he looks like it.
Thanks Roman Collector! Just curious do you still pick Hadrian if it looks like this under normal lighting? XD All the colors really only pop under the very bright lighting.
@Gam3rBlake You chose really well in your first year. All are awesome coins. Congrats! My favorites, and it was very hard to choose, are #6, #4 and #2
All so beautiful! Difficult to choose. I think the Hadrian is just stunning. But I am also in love with the Vespasian, the Domitian, and the Quadrigatus. Good luck on next year's selection!
Thanks Octavius! It seems like a lot of people are picking the Hadrian denarius. Maybe it deserved a higher place on the list. I wish you the very best luck in your collecting during 2022 as well!
Blake, you had a stellar year ! My favorites are #4, #9, & #2, in that order . The portrait denarii of Hadrian & Vespasian are stunning .
I love #9. The metal is gorgeous and the coin is nicely struck and centered. Nice start to your collection!!