I haven't bought an imperial denarius in 10 years!

(I guess it won't let me do emojis for the title).

How's that for a streak? Going through what passes for my records, it appears I haven't bought an Imperial denarius in 10 1/2 years.

And that denarius was bought for....the patina/toning.

It just shows the power of opportunity cost. Given each individual buy, my money either went to an AE (usually a large one), a Drachm, Tetradrachm, etc. Going through my possible buys bookmarks, I don't think a Denarius is on there. There's a siliqua, though.

Feel free to post your denarii from 27 B.C. onwards.

 

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Congrats on your buy and don’t mind if I do

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Denarii are my primary collecting area, especially those from the Republican era. In comparison, I possess only a single tetradrachm.

 

I don't collect denarii anymore but understand why it's the most popular Roman coin to collect . The denarius was the coin of the realm, "the dollar of the day", & recognized throughout the ancient world. I sold all my denarii except the two coins pictured below. The 1st coin ties into the Celtic coins I still collect & has been in my collection for about 50 years. The 2nd coin, although very common as a type, has unusually fine engraving, is in mint state, & has great eye appeal. I prefer coins with a larger flan that offer an engraver more space to "strut his stuff" .



Q. Antonius Balbus, Rome mint, 83-82 BC. AR Denarius serratus: 4.07 gm, 19 mm, 5 h. Obverse: Laureate head of Jupiter. Reverse: Victory in quadriga holding wreath, reins, & palm branch. Crawford 364/1d.

 

I like denarii, though I collect more bronze coins. I bought a denarius last night, in fact! Dig those flow lines!

 

Wow ! Hercules must have swung the mallet on that coin, nice score .

 

This is one that I have owned for many years
Q Marcus Philippus Ar Denarius 129 BC Obv. Helmeted head of Roma right. Rv. Armored horseman charging with couched spear right. Crawford 259/1 RBW 1054 3.90 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen There are some unusual features on this coin. The "star" behind the head of Roma is usually referred to as a device invented by the Romans to disguise the denarii that were minted after the coins were re tariffed from ten asses to sixteen. The armored horseman is sometimes described as Philip V of Macedon. This would make the imagery on this coin rather unique as it would depict an enemy not in an attitude of defeat or mourning. He is wearing a helmet surmounted by a crescent. No doubt this would have clearly identified the horseman to Philippus' contemporaries however it is lost to us. The odd shaped object behind the horseman has been described as a 'horned helmet' .

 

I've picked up a decent amound of Republic and Imperatorial. I was referring to the time of the emperors.

 

I only have one republican denarius. I bought it because it was $20, which was cheap.


The only denarius I bought because I truly liked, and wanted it is this bronze/billon Aurelian. I just relaly liked the historicity of this coin, and what it represented, as pretty much one of the last times the "denarius" was used as an actual coin and not just as a generic term for "money," (denar, dinero, etc) or as a unit of account (denarius communis)

 

I like the imaginative designs in Roman Republic denarii.

 

I'm not sure why people keep posting Republican denarii when the original poster refers to coins from 27 BC onwards!

Anyway, the last 20 denarii I've bought, or at least listed on Tantalus, are Republican; however, number 21 is an Imperial coin - a Severus Alexander denarius:




Obv.: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG - Bust of Severus Alexander, laureate, draped right
Rev.: PROVID DEORVM - Providentia, draped, standing left, holding wand in right hand over globe and sceptre in left hand
Mint: Antioch (222-235 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.82g / 19mm / 12h
References:

• RIC 294
• RSC 495a
• BMC 1061

Acquisition: ACR Auctions Online auction E-Live Auction 105 #2301 21-Oct-2021

The odd thing about this coin is that I had no recollection of bidding on it (or on a Gordian III sestertius in the same auction). It was cheap, at least and I think I did actually throw in a few lowball bids one night and forget about them!

That reminds me of another case where a dealer used a bid sheet from October 2021 for an auction in January 2022. I had made 7 bids through biddr for the October auction and won nothing. In January, I received an email saying I'd won something in their latest auction. I found this surprising as it wasn't a coin I'd have had much interest in (Alexander drachm - I have one or two of them already which is enough for me as they're not exactly RR) and I'd no record of any bids. When I inquired as to where the bid had come from, they sent on the biddr bid sheet from October - as it had the auction number and date, it was clearly an error and resolved. However - while I'd only won one lot, assuming all the bids were processed for that auction I believe I would have been the underbidder on one or more other lots. I don't know if they retracted my imaginary bids and awarded the lots at lower prices...

ATB,
Aidan.

 

Excellent examples posted!

My denarii purchases over the years have been next to nonexistent. I just can't concentrate on that series, as broad and complex as it is, while at the same time focus on Greek and Byzantine coinage. My resources just won't allow for that.

When I do purchase a Roman coin, it is far more likely to be a imperial bronze or a Roman provincial coin. I find that in addition to the larger format, naturally, they can display great artistry and interesting subjects on the reverse.

Here's a purchase from a couple years ago of an anepigraphic denarius of Sabina, 128-137/38 AD.




And one more, Julia Domna, a MATER DEVM denarius of 198 AD. While readily available, generally, I was attracted by the coin's deep, rich toning.

 

More denarii..........

 

Last post, I promise...........














As you can see, I can’t get enough of denarii. I’m currently obsessed with collecting them.