12 Caesars: Aureus Virtual Tray

In contrast to other common Roman coins during the time of the 12 Caesars, the aureus derives its name from the Latin word for gold; the as, dupondius, sestertius, and denarius all derive their names from a numeric ratio with the as being the basic unit. Aurei were rarely struck before the time of Julius Caesar. Throughout the period of the 12 Caesars, the purity of the aureus remained remarkably constant, in excess of 99% solid gold. Due to the intrinsic value of gold, the quality of the engraving on Roman 12 Caesars aurei is usually quite high, exceeded only on average by the quality on the much bigger sestertii.

Eleven of the twelve Caesars minted lifetime Imperial portrait aurei; the one exception is Julius Caesar. However, Octavian minted an aureus with his own likeness on the obverse and Julius Caesar’s portrait on the reverse (or vice versa, depending on the definition of obverse), so it’s possible to have a complete set of 12 Caesars portrait aurei.



Possibly the coin I own that comes closest to being true FDC (not just mint state) is the Nero aureus, which has incredibly well-struck detail on both sides. But my favorite overall coin just may be the Claudius aureus depicting Fides Praetorianum, honoring the Praetorian Guard who raised him to emperor after Caligula’s assassination. The history represented by this coin is almost incomprehensible.

If you have a favorite 12 Caesars coin in your collection of any denomination, please post it in this thread with a description of why it’s your favorite!

A Final Thought

As much as I’ve enjoyed presenting the coins and accompanying historical vignettes, I’ve more enjoyed seeing the coins of collectors on this site and hearing the associated history and stories about those coins. Thanks, everyone!

 

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A stunning collection @IdesOfMarch01

My favourite coin of the 12 is much more modest than any of yours.

This denarius of Vespasian is my current favourite because I love the very unusual bare headed portrait. There are only 2 known coin types that feature Vespasian with a bare head, all others are laureate. For one coin type there are several examples known to exist. For the coin type displayed below, this coin is the only one to have surfaced so far.

The reference Roman Imperial Coinage II Part 1 refers to this coin but does not have a photo of the coin.I love that this volume refers to coin actually in my possession. I think that fact is very neat indeed. It is the only coin I own which is considered unique (at least until a hoard of them is discovered).

I hope to pass this on to a museum when I shuffle off this mortal coil. I would really like to give others the chance to see it.

Vespasian (69-79). AR Denarius (18.08mm, 3.50g, 6h). Rome, AD 75.
Obv: Bare head l. R IMP CEASAR VESPASIANUS AUG
Rev: Pax seated l., resting l. elbow on throne and holding branch.
PON MAX TRP COS VI
RIC II 773 (this coin); RSC –. Extremely Rare variety, near VF.
Ex Vecchi sale 13, 1998, 757.
Ex: St Paul Antiques auction 7 Lot 285 June 11, 2017
Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database.

 

A truly fabulous and very well-matched set. Your Caesar portrait was a steal and I also love your IMPER RECEPT. My favorite of your aurei has always been your Augustus with Diana, and that remains true today. The flan, centering, condition, and style are all superb. Congratulations!

 

I think I died... Those are absolutely gorgeous!

 

I'm so sorry I can't contribute with anything here (I would have to find a jar of them in my garden....)

All I can do is displaying (again...) my heteroclit set of 12....




Q

 

I tried to look this this up: What does this mean?

 

OOOPS sorry, I thought it would be the same in english. It's obviously only french and means motley in english

Q

 

AH! I WONDERED. When I did a search, it showed up as a Romanian word, and I did not pursue French! Motley makes a LOT of sense now! Thank you!

 

Thanks to the OP, I now have a new computer background for a while. I won't sully this thread with any of my coins. Love that Claudius. What's the reverse edifice? That's not the Praetorian Guard quarters, is it?

 

Absolutely stunning.

 

Indeed it is -- it's the battlemented wall enclosing the Praetorian camp.

 

What an amazing group.

I really like the Titus the most, because I like animal types.

Are you still looking for upgrades or are you "done" now?

John

 

WOW!.....Love the Galba obverse

 

For now, upgrades to my aurei aren't contemplated.

Really, it's difficult to find better examples for most of the coins, and it's more productive to allocate my auction budget to the Hadrians that I'm seeking.

 

Wonderful set IOM!
I have only a few of the 12 and do not consider them a set, for now. I do have a #1 & 2 in bronze.

 

That is a splendiferous group which I could gaze at indefinitely. I think my favourite is also the Claudius, with the Titus and Nero both close runners-up. But it is the impression created by the set overall that is truly stunning. Thank you so much for your wonderful series of posts! I hope that over the years, many thousands will find them and enjoy them as much as I have.

You requested that we post our favourite one of the 12 from our own collection. I can't do that, but I can choose 2: my Caligula as, and my Otho denarius. I haven't been satisfied with my photos of either (my standards have gone up since joining CT!), so in honour of your post I took new photos. The new photos do a much better job of capturing the look of these coins in hand, I think. They capture the relief, patina and detail on the Caligula, and the detail and toning on the Otho:



Why are these two my favourites? Well, I couldn't hope to own coins that would belong in your collection, but these two come the closest! Just thinking of them in the context of my own collection, I think what I prize the most about these two coins, besides their generally good state of preservation, is the style of the portraiture. I've rarely seen better in that department.

P.S. A big thanks to @dougsmit for all the photography tips he has sprinkled around CT! They have helped me a lot!

 

I'm not sure about every day, but I would love to go out metal detecting. I've been invited by an old colleague to visit in Croatia to metal detect with him. We had planned on going this Fall, but my wife's medical condition will not allow it at this time. Perhaps next Spring.