Nominate your favorite affordable short set

My leaders for adding to the Major Emperors list would be: Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Constantius II, and Valentinian I.

For the original "short set" thread, I'd suggest a coin from each of the originators of the major Byzantine dynasties: Justin I (Justinianic), Heraclius (Heraclian), Leo III (Isaurian), Michael II (Amorian), Basil I (Macedonian), Constantine X (Doukid), Alexius I (Comnenid), Isaac II (Angelid), Theodore I (Laskarid), and Michael VIII (Palaiologan). Optional: Leo I (Leonid; depending on how early you want to go), Nicephorus I (short-lived Nicephoran dynasty). That's 10-12 easily obtainable coins, and a less intimidating way to extend a Roman collection into Byzantine.

A bit further afield, you could get all the major Umayyad caliphs.

 

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I agree on Claudius being a decent ruler but Nero is a better example of why the Roman Empire was not a great idea in the first place. I felt we needed a representative jerk and chose him over Commodus or Elagabalus.

Justinian is an obvious choice if we extend to Byzantine but my definition of Roman stopped before his time.

 

Curious... if you wanted a representative degenerate Roman emperor, why not choose Caligula?

Maybe I tend to think more on the positive side -- Augustus was surely a positive influence on the empire (as much as any dictator can be so) hence my preference for the under-appreciated Claudius.

 

7 super cool coins ...

=> a mere $660 delivered ... "Winna"






Thanks again for the cool tray-photo, TIF (you rock)

 

Agreed, My choice!

 

Interesting list. Such a list, to cover roman history, would have to cover one or two earlier IMHO. If we have a $100 limit, Sulla and JC are out, but maybe a cheap Antony coin.

 

I started collecting RR silver coins by finding VF for $50 +/- a bit. I was able to find a reasonable number. One of the dealers who attends shows here normally has bargain bags and they were a great way to start collecting. I found more when I pushed the limit to $100. I keep track of my collection on a spreadsheet and try to buy coins that fill longest time holes. Start about the time Rome started issuing denarii, 211 BC, and buy one for each 50 years. There is no Whitman folder to fill. Just buy coins that look interesting.
Victoratius 211 BC pick one of these
Denarius TOD 189 - 180 BC
The time window from 155 to 200 BC is less common than 211 to 200 BC and 155 to 50 BC.
Denarius 140 BC
Denarius 115 BC
Denarius 63 BC
You get the idea. You do not need a specific coin, just one in a time window. Most of these are available in VF for $100 +/- a bit.

 

I would say a nice set of Antonines would be fun, interesting, and pretty doable. Four emperors, four empresses, so 8 coins, all pretty readily available. I think Lucius Verus would be the "key" to this set.

And maybe not quite $100/coin, but I'd love to do the restoration ants of Trajan Decius.

 

Some great ideas for achievable sets in this thread. I agree on "achievable" being important (at least for me) in the definition of a set
For the sets I've completed or am working on :
- 12 caesars
- Plautilla denarii (14 for Rome and 3 for Laodicaea, with all the hairdo variations I could find)



- The Divi series of Trajan Decius (22 main types if you don't care about draped or undrapped bust and short/long legends : 11 emperors and two main reverses (altar/eagle)
- Imperial denarii with a Diana Lucifera reverse (don't know how many they are though, as I didn't make the count of them)

Q

 

I thought there were 13 emperors in the Trajan Decius restoration series? Am I misremembering?

 

Well, I believe so as I think there are only 11 : Augustus, Vespasian, Titus, Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, Septimius Severus, Severus Alexander.

Unless they've added two since the last time I checked

Q

 

Well, 'sets' can be anything and any criteria. The only limit is ones imagination. And of course there is the idea of what is affordable. For some it is $10,000 aureii. For others it may be $5 per coin. I might propose for the most affordable obviously it would be late Roman and Byzantine. One can get them cheaply and readily. Of course, there is the Adoptive emperors. Always on hand by everyone and nice coins to be had cheaply. Again, the only limit is ones imagination.

One theme I have long had but continue to forget is to put together a set of the most evil figures of all time. Not just by reputation of course (Caligula was not nearly the person most think him).

 

I AM JEALOUS!

 

How about a fourrée 12 Caesars set? More affordable, but perhaps harder to assemble.

 

A well-defined set of a dozen would be to collect the Dii Consentes, represented by twelve gilt statues in the Forum of Ancient Rome, six gods and six goddesses: Jupiter-Juno, Neptune-Minerva, Mars-Venus, Apollo-Diana, Vulcan-Vesta and Mercury-Ceres.

The advantages of such a collection are that it is just as well-defined as "the twelve Caesars" but for each deity (with the astonishing exception of Vulcan), there are hundreds of options to choose from, for any budget.

 

A set of one coin from each major Chinese dynasty can be had for less than $100 total.

A set of Northern Song emperors (excepting the last one) can be completed for less than $100. You could also include many of the reign titles and calligraphic variations as well.

A set of all of the Ming and Qing emperors’ coins can be had for about the $100 mark.

 

Here is a small set I put together this morning:

Zhou Dynasty (Warring States): square-foot spade, $120
Qin Dynasty: large Ban Liang, $20 (can be had for ~$10)
Han Dynasty: Wu Zhu, $2
Xin Dynasty: Huo Quan, $1
Three Kingdoms: Zhi Bai Wu Zhu: $40
North and South Dynasties: Chang Ping Wu Zhu, $25
Sui Dynasty: Wu Zhu, $25
Tang Dynasty: Kai Yuan Tong Bao, $1
10 Kingdoms period: Tang Guo Tong Bao, $6
Northern Song Dynasty: Chong Ning Zhong Bao, $8
Southern Song Dynasty: Shao Xi Tong Bao, $1
Yuan Dynasty: Da Yuan Tong Bao (in Mongolian Script), $60

 

Lol, I have to actually put a similar set together tonight. My son is in Chinese immersion elementary school and I am going there Wednesday to give a talk with him about Chinese coins. My plan is to have a set like this, (maybe some ghost face money and spades in there as well), and then a strong of cash and pass out Northern Song coins to the kids in class. I think I might even bring a mold to show them how they were cast, but they are 1st graders so maybe not.

 

Instead of bronze, melt chocolate or other candy in the spaces for increased attention. Boil mother coins for cleanliness and use food safe mold material rather than an antique.

 

Lol, I was't going to cast a coin right there Doug. I was thinking of bringing a broken mold that was used 1000 years ago to make the coins, but most likely won't since they are 1st graders after all. I will be lucky if they pay attention to learn one thing about my 3 minute talk.

Cool idea though, make chocolates in the shape of old coins to get kid's attention!