My perfect 10 Roman Soldier Emperors, 235-251 AD

After managing to acquire both Gordian I and II and to upgrade all of the other rulers from the beginning of the Age of the Soldier Emperors, I can now proudly present the first part of my Imperial Roman portrait gallery that I am totally satisfied with:

Complete with all Augusti and Caesares, all Sestertii, the best grade and style I could afford, historically interesting reverse types, and, last but not least, a comparable grade (more or less VF) and, most of all, a uniform colour!
The completition of this uniform set was quite a (self-imposed) challenge - it is impossible to achieve with either Aurei, Denarii, or middle bronzes, and I doubt that it has been done before with a cast of all naturally coloured Sestertii either:



1) Maximinus Thrax (235-238) - VICTORIA GERMANICA - celebrating his spectacular advance into Germania Magna that culminated at the Harzhorn battle (featuring the rare version with the Emperor crowned by Victoria)
2) Maximus (Caesar 236-238) - PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS - introducing him as the crown prince (he and his father would be dead before he could be promoted to Augustus)
3) Gordian I (238) - ROMAE AETERNAE - proclaiming him as the restorer of Roman values against Maximinus, who had not even visited the capital during his rule (very rare reverse type)
4) Gordian 2 (238) - VICTORIA AVGG - expecting his victory over the forces of Maximinus - before he perished in the battle of Carthage during his first and only chance to show his military prowess (very rare reverse type)
5) Pupienus (238) - VICTORIA AVGG - celebrating "his" victory over Maximinus at Aquilea
6) Balbinus (238) - CONCORDIA AVGG - promoting his harmony with his co-ruler Pupienus (whom he famously did not get along with)
7) Gordian III (238-244) - PM TR P V COS II PP - presenting the teenage Emperor in military attire in a vain attempt to promote him as a strong leader which did not keep the army from replacing him with the pretorian prefect Philippus Arabs
8) Philipp I (244-249) - SAECULARES AVGG - celebrating the 1000 year aniversary of Rome
9) Philipp II (247-249) - LIBERALITAS AVGG III - promoting the child as co-Augustus of his father to advertise dynastic stability while also empasizing the generosity of the imperial family
10) Trajanus Decius (249-251) - DACIA - highlighting the province conquered by Trajan in order to promote his connection to Rome´s greatest general (before heroically perishing on the Danubian frontier himself)



There will be more trays to follow, but I did not come close enough to the desired result with the others yet, so it might take a couple of years...

Please show your perfect 10, portrait galleries, trays full of Sestertii, or anything you like!

 

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Wow. I really like sestertii from this era and these are just splendid.

In order to provide comic relief for the Perfect 10 ideal, here are my two most recent finds from that era. They were unidentified by the seller and I got 'em for under $20 for the pair - the Treb. Gallus is actually not quite as bad in hand as my photo, but the Trajan Decius is just as ugly as it looks here:



Trebonianus Gallus
Æ Sestertius
(251-253 A.D.)
[IMP CAES C VIBIVS TR]EBON[IANVS GALLVS AVG], laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / [PIETAS AVGG], S-C, Pietas standing facing, altar to left.
RIC 117a; Sear 9676
(16.70 grams / 24 mm)

Trajan Decius Æ Sestertius
(249-251 A.D.)
Rome Mint
[IMP C] M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, laureate cuirassed bust right / GEN [ILLVRICI] S-C, Genius standing left, holding patera and cornucopiae (no standard)
RIC 116a; Cohen 47.
(14.95 grams / 26 mm)

 

Great achievement, congrats, those are beautiful. I couldn't compete with the same set in sestertii (I lack 4 after I've sold my Pupienus)

Q

 

Wow! Just wow!

 

@Julius Germanicus that is a fantastic achievement that you must be very proud of!
I was trying to pick my favorite but I keep changing my mind... I like some due to their rarity, many more due to the reverse type and portrait, and all for their grade and colour.
Just amazing!!!

I will add a rough Philipp the Arab sesterii...

 

An incredible acievement! I've longed for any example of Gordian I and II, but I have my doubts that spending $2,000+ on a coin I'd be satisfied with is something in my foreseeable future.

Of the eight that I have, I am pleased:

 

Wow, a super sweet set!

I love the natural patinas.

John

 

Those are magnificent, @Julius Germanicus !!! They match their colors so well!

 

GI and GII are serious pieces. I'd love to get them, but I can't see myself spending $2000 + on a coin, not when I can use that money to get 3-4 other serious coins I like....but I appreciate your commitment to assembling this beautiful set of coins. Well done!

I do have a few of those other emperors in the set. Probably the nicest one was this piece @Cucumbor gifted me. I freaking love this coin so much...

 

Here's a Balbinus and a Pupienus. I don't have any Gordian III sestertii yet, and I am looking for Gordian I and II, though I doubt I will be able to find them.

 

FANTASTIC @Julius Germanicus ! Your specialty in Sestertii is specatacular! Well done.

Here is my incomplete rag-tag Team paraphrasing your great captions:

1) Maximinus Thrax (235-238) - spectacular advance into Germania Magna that culminated at the Harzhorn battle

RI Maximinus Thrax 235-238 CE AR Denarius Victory stndg


2) Maximus (Caesar 236-238) - PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS - introducing him as the crown prince (he and his father would be dead before he could be promoted to Augustus)

RI Maximinus Thrax JUNIOR 236-238 AE Sestertius Rome mint priestly emblems


3) Gordian I (238) - ROMAE AETERNAE - proclaiming him as the restorer of Roman values against Maximinus, who had not even visited the capital during his rule
NOPE! Wow! Congrats on that TOUGH one to capture!


4) Gordian 2 (238) - VICTORIA AVGG - expecting his victory over the forces of Maximinus - before he perished in the battle of Carthage during his first and only chance to show his military prowess
NOPE! Wow! Congrats on that TOUGH one to capture AGAIN!


5) Pupienus (238) - victory over Maximinus at Aquilea

RI Pupienus AR denarius bust r Concordia throne patera dbl cornucopiae Seaby 6


6) Balbinus (238) - "harmony" with his co-ruler Pupienus (whom he famously did not get along with)

RI Balbinus 238 CE AR Denarius 20mm 3.7g Rome Laureate draped cuirasses - Victory wreath palm RIC 8


7) Gordian III (238-244) - teenage Emperor

RI Gordian III 238-244 CE AE As 25mm Hercules S-C


8) Philipp I (244-249) - celebrating the 1000 year aniversary of Rome

RI Philip I 244-249 CE AR Ant radiate zoo Antelope SAECVLARES 1000 yr anniv Rome


9) Philipp II (247-249) - promoting the child as co-Augustus of his father to advertise dynastic stability

RI Philip II 244-249 Nisibis Mesopotamia-farthest EAST Temple sinister left


10) Trajanus Decius (249-251) - DACIA - highlighting the province conquered by Trajan in order to promote his connection to Rome´s greatest general (before heroically perishing on the Danubian frontier himself)

RI Trajan Decius 249-251 CE AR Ant Dacia draco standard

 

A spectacular set JG, congrats!!

Here's a dupondius front-bookend with something of the natural colour you prefer:

 

Congratulations for your performance You succeeded in achieving an jmpressive and rare collection of quality portraits of emperors with uniform tan as if having been exposed to the same sun exposure (lol). For the same duration ! More modestly I tried unsuccessfully to achieve the same with denarii obviously not finding (or affording)the first two Gordians !

 

They look like they came out of a coin bag during Imperial rome ready to be spent. Amazing!

 

WOW! What a fantastic span of history! Gordian I and II - I'm speechless, but I am in love with your Decius sest. I'm just partial to him and your's is beautiful.

 

Thank you everybody!

Those are neat!!! In a better world or parallel universe, I would love to have a complete portrait gallery in silver AND one in brass, but in this life I only have the means to choose one denomination to collect. Sigh...

My Gordians actually cost a little less than that (but not much). From today´s point of view, I maybe should have used the funds to get half a dozen different Sestertii of Hadrians travels instead. They would certainly be more interesting conversation pieces to anyone I know!
But then I chose to concentrate on a one portrait Sestertius per emperor collection and suffer from being a completist.

That is a nice description of what I am after! But to achieve this "time machine" feat with my whole portrait gallery, I would have to replace most of my post-251 aD sestertii that feature a darkish patina with unpatinated or "Tiber" toned specimens that are near impossible to find for that time frame.

 

JG, awesome collection!!congrats.

Doug