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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;IdesOfMarch01, post: 2871233, member: 39084&quot;]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 <i>as</i>, <i>dupondius</i>, <i>sestertius</i>, and <i>denarius</i> all derive their names from a numeric ratio with the <i>as</i> being the basic unit.&nbsp; Aurei were rarely struck before the time of Julius Caesar.&nbsp; Throughout the period of the 12 Caesars, the purity of the aureus remained remarkably constant, in excess of 99% solid gold.&nbsp; 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.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eleven of the twelve Caesars minted lifetime Imperial portrait aurei; the one exception is Julius Caesar.&nbsp; 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.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]686231[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; The history represented by this coin is almost incomprehensible.</p><p><br /></p><p>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!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>A Final Thought</b></p><p><br /></p><p>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.&nbsp; Thanks, everyone![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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