I have just reached my 1 year anniversary of Ancient Coin collecting.. this has been extremely educational and rewarding (a big thank you to ALL on here!). Exciting not only due to what I have learned but realizing the amount of learning ahead of me - it is wonderful... this is a path I had never expected to travel. I have not collected coins previously - I've never collected anything at all previously! Then add understanding attributions in Latin, Greek, then geography, (of course History - which is my love) photography, lighting, Photoshop ... what did I get myself into??? Anyway - my wife thinks I am crazy! But after my initial scatter gun approach of "grab everything I can afford" I have finally settled on a collecting focus (for now). My focus for 2019 is to collect the "Adoptive Emperors" in Sestartii. I am also a pretty OK amateur woodworker so simultaneously I will be working on a display cabinet - just for this collection. The coins I can afford will be of mid-range grade and probably not acceptable pieces for many on here .. but I am Ok with that. You work with what you have!! My question to you good folk: .. I picture this for my collection: Sestertius of: Nerva (costly - maybe a bit hopeful), Trajan, Hadrian, Antonius Pius, Lucius Verus, Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Perhaps an As of Lucius Aelius - never Augustus.. so I can deal with only an As (and save some $$). But I know nothing of the women/wives/daughters involved .. are they acceptable targets or so rare that I should just keep to my list above. non-sestertius is what i am thinking. Basically I am drawing out my cabinet and need to understand how may coins should be considered. Sorry for the long post... but I was thinking it through as I typed! I better add a coin!!
I personally really like the beauty and elegance the Adoptive females add to the party, do I'd say add them in. You can get some worn yet very worthwhile Faustina Sr & Jr sestertius under $50-60 retail (As $30-50), and could get lucky on a bargain in an auction too. Lucilla shouldn't be too hard to find but might be 125% cost of the Faustina gals. Sabina might be harder and 200%+ of the Faustinas, but you could wait for AMCC #2 as I had a worn Sabina sestertius in #1 that didn't sell (https://www.biddr.ch/auctions/amcoinscanada/browse?a=407&l=398362). And then there is Crispina, a little more scare and 150% of the Faustinas. I honestly think you'd enjoy having them in your set. And the hunt for them.
Thanks for the response! If the set of women is obtainable (in any denomination) I would certainly enjoy the hunt (which is half the fun!) to have a great set.. but are there any that would be prohibitive? Basically if I can't get them all I would probably pass .. and limit my goal to an area I can achieve... and I am NOT being sexist at all in my hesitation to include the women (I have a wife and two daughters).... but being in Canada I am a bit sick of looking at the queen on every coin my whole life.. my Dad was an old Irish rebel (came to Canada in the early '60s) - he regularly called her the "reverse of a Carthage coin".. now I finally get it..
Sounds like a nice theme, but if you find the quality and or price unacceptable keep in mind As or Dupondius as you will get a lot more bang for your buck and in a lot of cases just as rare as Sestertius. All the best for your 2019 collecting.
I wouldn't think so (unless I forgot one)... The 2 Faustinas are plentiful, and right now on Vcoins there are 19 Lucilla sestertius under $100, 5 Crispina sestertius under $103, and 3 Sabina sestertius under $100. And those in that $75-100 are actually really nice with a decent portrait and decent legends.
Happy Anniversary, @Claudius!! I'm glad you're here As for your question, a Nerva-Antoinine set seems reasonable, although perhaps without some of the scarcer women (Plotina, Marciana, and Matidia). Antinous will also set you back a fair amount.
Every coin in this post cost < $100. Plotina is unaffordable in an imperial issue, but should be obtainable if you're willing to accept a provincial issue: Sabina is affordable, but much easier to obtain in silver. Bronzes are available (but much higher in price than the Faustinas) in decent grade if you are patient. Here's a middle bronze: Faustina I is readily available. Pleasing but well-circulated sestertii are less than $100 and often less than $60: Same with Faustina II: The bronzes of Lucilla are almost always well-circulated and are less than $100, only a little more pricey than those of her grandma and mom. They are quite scarce in high-grade, however, and choice examples always bring three- or even four-figures at auction. Here are a couple of well-circulated sestertii: The bronzes of Crispina are similarly plentiful in well-circulated grades but very pricey in choice, high grades. Here's an as (top) and a sestertius (bottom), each with the same reverse design.
Happy CT Anniversary, @Clavdivs! I think it's a great set to collect, though I echo TIF's thoughts about the scarcer women. If I were doing this set, I'd try to work in some of the more interesting reverse types for each emperor. There were some nice ones for this period. I don't have a Nerva or an Aelius, but here are sestertii of the rest of them... Trajan. Circus Maximus. Hadrian. Antoninus Pius. Marcus Aurelius. Temple of Mercury 'The Rain Miracle'. Lucius Verus. Commodus.
