What is a 12 Caesars set?

I see 551 hits when searching on ACsearch for "Caligula denarius". You might also try searching for "Gaius denarius" since some listings don't use his nickname.

 

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I'm not sure I understand. CNG alone has sold 7 Caligula denarii this year (4 of them in a sale just last month):
https://www.cngcoins.com/Search.asp...R_TYPE_ID_2=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_4=1

You could acquire one from such an auction and just send it to NGC if you really wanted it slabbed. CNG and many other established auction houses have return policies that would protect you against fakes, and also cataloguers as qualified as those at NGC.

 

This is what we 'hate' about slabs. People with more money than sense are willing to pay sellers who know nothing about the coins they sell a steep premium because they got the idea that being placed in a plastic holder made the coins better than the same coins before they went in. I have great respect for the two gentlemen who work for NGC but they are not the ONLY people out there with a clue. They are just the ones whose work can be marketed by people willing to lie to well funded beginners unwilling to do the research to separate knowledgeable sources from those who are destructive to the hobby. There is nothing wrong with you sending your coin to NGC and getting it slabbed if you really like those cases and are comforted by the plastic but the "full retail overpriced by thousands" are not overpriced because there are people out there waiving money around like it means nothing to them who have been told that the slabs are the only way to go.

A relative wise dealer in our hobby suggests we either know the coin or know the dealer. That goes for coins in or out of fancy holders. Those who desire to buy expensive and popular coins before they have studied the subject for a few decades are strongly advised to know the seller. If you want to buy a denarius for a reasonable but not bargain price, you could employ the services of a dealer who would find one for you and guarantee it would slab as genuine (or, since they don't guarantee that ancients are genuine when slabbed, at least not come back as fake). Would you pay thousands extra? Possibly, you would pay a service fee, but you would gain a value of thousands in the contact and the ability obtain 'Big Dog' coins without leaving the porch for your future outings.

 

You know that the authenticity of the coins in NGC slabs is not guaranteed, right?

 

Thank you guys. Some things you just can't buy. I can't buy the enjoyment and the journey of truly learning about a Caligula. In my search for a slabbed one I learned a little about the different types and really enjoyed myself. Actually touching the coin is sounding very appealing. It's unthinkable with expensive slabbed US coins. Maybe in a few months or years I'll be prepared to get one.

In the meantime I will be very happy with this $25 reproduction!

 

I posted this before but it fits here. I have new coins to replace some of the ones I don't like haven't got around to it yet. I have a bronze one coming soon with a really cool display!

 

Wow! I saw that coin before it looks like Caligula is AFRAID of the WORLD!!! or Crackerjacks!

 

Wow AD that's a cool way to display your 12.

Doug H.

 

Good tip using "Gaius" instead of "Caligula," but I would also leave off the denomination and just pick out the denarii manually. This avoids filtering out foreign-language auctions. If you don't read French or German, get comfortable with Google Translate.

 

Long time lurker in Ancients and finally have the funds saved up to pursue a full collection.

Assuming $ is not an object....

If I were to start going after the Caesars but not wanting to buy them in Chronological order, but instead of an exciting order = how would you order them?

Meaning, instead of going after JC in coin 1, maybe start with Nero and then mix up the next ones so that there are still fun ones for later. Maybe save a solid one for my 12th purchase?

I'm really wanting to embrace the experience of this collection.

 

In any way you wish is the simple answer. There are easy examples to find and there are hard examples. Easy might include Vespasian and Domitian, while harder to find are Claudius, Caligula, Otho, or Vitellius. Someone on CT is currently trying to complete a set for less than $3K. Mine cost me in the neighborhood of $8k, but over several years. Good luck. The hunt is a fun part of collecting.

 

If money really isn't a limiting factor, then I would recommend trying to build a group like @IdesOfMarch01's, mostly through auctions. That will take a while and you'll have to take them as they come. But whatever the order, the experience will be plenty exciting!!

 

Welcome to the party divinemine! What a fun thread to tag into...and idea!!
I was gonna be a smart arse and say collect them in the order from JC to Domitian but it's just so anticlimactic.
So my humble list would be:
Tiberius (Tribute nonsense...but popular and cool)
Caligula (Gaius)
Nero
Domitian (get the 4 bad boys before you bring in the good and ugly)
Augustus
Claudius
Vespasian
Titus
Galba
Vitellius
Otho
Julius Caesar

 

I said I paid approx. 8K, and afterwards thought that didn't sound right. So I went back through my catalog and sure enough I was wrong. I paid nearer $4K, but again that was over several years time.

 

@Ardatirion and @vlaha

First of all vlaha, understand that ancients are really about the adventure you go on. Some of that adventure will be annoying. Trying to make out letters on cheapo bronzes when you don’t really know what the legends should be yet, trying to learn what reference books go to what type of coinage, finding dealers on internet or in person that you like and can trust, et cetera. Those annoyances were mine at least and they faded pretty quickly as I learned to use Wildwinds, bought some good reference books of my own and bugged these guys in here a ton.

The fun part of the adventure is that most of us started in one place and ended up in several very different places along the way or at the end. I had a couple of ancients that were gifted to me as a kid and I got interested in figuring them out (in so, coming to the true purpose of the gifter) so I did. Then I wanted more. I like the challenge of finding cheap coins that appeal to me mostly because when I started I was really broke. As it turns out I really love the research and can dig deep in it to write little notes for here for other people to talk with me about. I started all over the place sort of doing a one coin per emperor set. Then like @Mat i then was like “oh, who is this lady here?” She was Julia Domna, whom I named my daughter after. Then I dove deep into Septimius Severus and am still there. I also love Probus and all of his crazy type combos from his six year reign. I also like dinking around in junk bins for cheap 4th century coins of the family of Constantine I. I like collecting those by mint mark because I am a lunatic. They are like $10 Max a coin for the most part.

I do have a 12 Caesars set that sees action once in awhile too. If I am counting in my brain correctly I have 8. But I also use bronze and Provincial to help complete the collection. It is what I can afford and I don’t care. They are nice coins.

Just don’t collect Septimius Severus. He is terrible and boring and I already have enough competition from @dougsmit in that regard.

 

@divinemine

You can decide to collect popular issues like the "tribute penny" for Tiberius or the "Judea Capta" denarius for Vespasian, or you could decide to collect rarer issues if rarity is something you want to pursue.

You might decide that you want a mix of metals or collect all in the same metal. (There are limitations to this as Otho did not mint any imperial bronze). you might decide to collect only imperial issues or you might include provincial issues. If you allow provincials, then a bronze of Otho would be available.

If you decide on silver issues there are a few stumbling blocks. The most difficult and expensive to acquire will be the Caligula and the Claudius. Not only are these scarce, they are also very popular. There is plenty of competition for them when they appear. They do appear with some regularity in larger, well advertised auctions. The nice thing is that your targets will probably not all come to market at the same time. This will give you the opportunity to examine your strategy for collecting and decide whether or not you think it is working. Do not be afraid to change your mind or direction.

As an example of some of the choices you will face consider the coins of Julius Caesar. If you want a silver issue you can choose a lifetime or posthumous example. You can choose a portrait or non-portrait example. One popular choice is the famous "elephant" denarius. For Galba you might want to choose an issue of Rome. However, his coins were also minted in Gaul, Spain, and northern Africa.

When I was building my set I tried to get the most difficult ones before acquiring the easier ones. However, you can do this anyway you like as stated by @Bing. There is only one rule-have fun.

If you have more questions, there are plenty of kind people here who will help.

 

I would certainly not put any order as to how to acquire them. Go figure : your "next in lane" is, say, Nero, and a very nice and affordable Claudius pops up. Will you stick to your plan or jump on the opportunity ?

I know what I would do for sure

Here's my own 12's set



Q

 

@divinemine, if you do aim to gather sets like the ones acquired @IdesOfMarch01, use a dealer to help source and vet the coins.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/12-caesars-aureus-virtual-tray.303950/

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/12-caesars-denarius-virtual-tray.303859/

His bronze set

 

I agree with @Cucumbor. You have to take what the market gives you, at least for some of the scarcer, more expensive coins. For all but Julius Caesar, Otho, Galba, and maybe Vitellius, you might find pleasing specimens readily available at almost all times. For the higher end coins such as the ones I just mentioned, you may have to be patient and wait for the right coin at the right auction at the right price. I am a Galba, Otho, and Vitellius away from a set. Which means I’m pretty far away.

 

I'm the one trying to do the $3000 set that @Bing mentioned. If you are starting out now in 2018, $3000 will get you 12 portrait coins in official imperial coins (ie. denarius, As, sestertius, quinarius, etc). However, if you are really tight for money, you could use provincial coins too (drachm, hemidrachms, etc) and complete a set for just under $2000.

It's all up to you. There's nothing that says you need to do all silver, or all imperial, etc.