Your rarest emperor

My only Caligula,

 

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I concur re: the octodrachm! And yes I think CT has most of the emperors covered.
I lack the first two Gordians also, I wonder if someone has them?

 

You want rare?

See AncientJoe's collection

http://www.colosseocollection.com/home

Just keep the paper tissues handy for the drool

 

AJ coins aren't just rare : they are rare AND "of highest rarity in this condition" !

Q

 

* tough-act to follow *

Welcome Greg => the more, the merrier!!

Wow, that's a fantastic coin-entrance!! (sweet OP coin!!)



Ummm, I'm never exactly too sure how rare my coins actually are, but I'll toss a couple of my sweeties onto the ol' barbie (sorry, I had to try and work the fact that you're Australian into the mix somewhere, eh?)



Good ol' Tranquillina must be one of my rarest examples ...

CAPPADOCIA, Caesarea- Eusebia,
Tranquillina, Augusta, AR Drachm
AD 241-244
Dated RY 4 of Gordian III (AD 240/1)
Diameter: 18 mm
Weight: 2.71 grams
Obverse: Draped bust right, wearing stephane
Reverse: Mt. Argaeus; ЄT Δ (date) in exergue
Reference: Bland, Last 58; Sydenham, Caesarea Supp. 617aa
Other: 5h … find patina





... oh, and the other chick-coin that I usually post in these types of threads is my sweet Diva Julia Titi ...

Diva Julia Titi. Æ Sestertius
Struck under Domitian
Rome mint
AD 91
Died AD 91
Diameter: 34 mm
Weight: 24.31 grams
Obverse: Carpentum drawn right by two mules
Reverse: Legend around large S C
Reference: RIC II 717 (Domitian)
Other: 5h … Fine, brass-brown patina, roughness and cleaning scratches




... again => "welcome"

 

livia

 

I dont consider her rare but still a tough one to get.


Aquilia Severa (221 - 222 A.D.)
AR Denarius
O: IVLIA AQVILIA SEVERA AVG, draped bust right.
R: CONCORDIA, Concordia standing half left, sacrificing from patera in right over lit altar, double cornucopia in left, star left.
Rome 221 A.D.
19mm
3.2g
RIC IV 226, BMCRE V 184, RSC III 2, SRCV II 7679

 

Yes, Tranquillina is quite rare! Nice coins!

 

Yes, Julia Aquilia Severa--like all of Elagabalus' wives--are scarce. Nice!

 

I also collect Roman Rulers. I have a Roman Imperial grid at Tantalus Online Coin Registry. I have some Roman Provincials as a substitute for Imperial rulers when they are too expensive or rare. I am up to 104 rulers right now.

http://www.tantaluscoins.com/coins/grid288.php

I had a celebration thread here awhile back for my 100th ruler. You can read here if you like. A lot of people posted some really rare ones. Together we filled up about 150 rulers. It was a lot of fun doing that.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/eric-ii-rarity-list-100-personal-milestone-celebration.263400/



Vitellius Denarius, Lugdunum mint, 69 AD.

OBV: A VITELLIVS IMP GERMAN, laureate head right; globe at point of bust.

REV: VICTORIA AVGVSTI, Victory flying left, holding shield inscribed SP/QR.

REF: RIC 62, RSC 99.




GALBA. 68-69 AD. AE As. Spanish mint (Tarraco?), 9.1g, 29mm

OBV: SER GALBA IMP AVGVSTVS, Laureate head left, globe at point of head portrait.

REV: LIBERTAS PVBLICA S-C, Libertas standing left, holding pileus and sceptre.

REF: RIC I 71




Macrianus I, Usurper, 260-261 AD. AR Antoninianus, Antioch, 21mm, 3.1g

OBV: IMP C FVL MACRIANVS P F AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right.

REV: SPES PVBLICA, Spes standing left holding flower and raising hem of robe. Star in left field.

REF: RIC V-2 13, RSC 13, MIR 1743b, Sear88 3093.




Romulus, son of Maxentius, AE Follis. Rome mint, ca 309-310 AD.

OBV: DIVO ROMVLO N V BIS CONS, Bare head right.

REV: AETERNAE MEMORIAE, Domed shrine without columns, RBP in ex.

REF: RIC 207 Rome, Cohen 6.




Hannibalianus, AE4, 336-337 AD, Constantinople, als Rex regum unter Constantine I. 1.6g, 14mm

OBV: FL HANNIBALLIANO REGI, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right.

REV: SE-CVRITAS PVBLICA, Euphrates seated right on ground, holding sceptre, overturned urn at his side, from which waters flow, reed in background. Mintmark CONSS.

REF: RIC VII Constantinople 147.

 

Vitellius

 

i don't have any really rare fellows, here a delmatius.

 

My rarest coin is of the most common emperor. This is an R5 follis of Constantine.






My next rarest coin is probably a denarius of Gaius (Caligula). While there are many coins available of Caligula, his silver coins are quite scarce.







My final entry would be this Claudius denarius. Again, as an emperor he is not rare. There are plenty of his copper and bronze coins available. In sliver however he is quite scarce

 

It's not clear to me what the definition of "rarest emperor" should be. For example, does it mean the emperor who actually issued the fewest coins? Or the emperor for whom the fewest coins exist today? Or maybe the emperor who ruled the shortest period, since his coins would have been superseded very quickly by the next emperor?

Or could it mean a specific coin that's rare, even if large numbers of coins were struck under that emperor?

Case in point: my avatar coin, an aureus of Caligula, is listed as "of the highest rarity" with only two known specimens:



GAIUS (CALIGULA)
AV Aureus (7.66 g.) Lugdunum ca. 37 - 38 A.D.
C CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR POT Laureate head r. Rev. S P Q R / P P / OB C S within oak wreath.
From the Biaggi collection.

This coin isn't listed in RIC I, but I personally consider its "rarity" to be somewhat artificial since the scarceness is based on the obverse legend. A similar aureus, RIC 27, has a slightly different obverse legend (C CAESAR AVG PON M TR POT III COS III) and is more plentiful (listed as R3, with up to 10 specimens known -- not actually that plentiful).

So I'd be interested in hearing other opinions about the definition of "rarest emperor."

 

EDIT:


My messed up response was basically the more concise and clearer answers that Bing and 'Q' just posted.

 

Those that are the toughest to come by IMHO. Not necessarily the most expensive, but it seems that follows along those that are tough to get.

 

I wouldn't want to tell in his place what Greg's understanding of a rare emperor is, but my interpretation of his statement is of emperors that have had very short reigns, hence most probably a few coins minted with a low availability.

Rather than rare coins of more common emperors

(Not sure I make that clear though....)
Q

 

By this criteria, Otho, who reigned only three months, would be the rarest emperor(?)

Note that Otho's reign was so short that he didn't even mint any Imperial bronzes.

 

I think the new collector is likely to refer to the Eric scale of rarity, in that meaning or reference.

 

Of course, it seems there isn't any answer that will address all areas of possible definition.....Is any one aware how they are classified in the RIC listings?