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Message:: [QUOTE="Orielensis, post: 3296702, member: 96898"]This is a very popular set based on Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars, a collection of biographies written during the reign of Hadrian. The downside of collecting the 12 Caesars is that they include some very short-lived and to most people obscure emperors whose coins are very hard to find and expensive. Fortunately, there are alternatives if you want a historically interesting set of imperial portraits. Here is what I aimed at when I started to collect Roman coins: 1. Julio-Claudian Dynasty, in bronze It makes sense to aim at attractively worn middle bronzes with good portraits. Denarii of most Julio-Claudians are much more expensive and in some cases hard to obtain. Provincial coins often differ extremely from imperial coins when it comes to portrait style and quality, therefore they are out of the game. We are going to start with Augustus (r. 27 BC–14 AD), who in 27 BC was the first who was granted the title augustus. Historians therefore often take 27 BC as the starting date of the Roman Empire.[ATTACH=full]872677[/ATTACH]Augustus, Roman Empire, as, 15 BC, Rome mint, moneyer: Lucius Naevius Surdinus. Obv: CAESAR AVGVSTVS TRIBUNIC POTEST, bareheaded head of Augustus right. Rev; L SVRDINUS III VIR AAAFF, large SC. 26mm, 10.62g. Ref: RIC I, 386. Ex Brian Bucklan. Augustus is easy to get as an as, as is his successor Tiberius (r. 14–37 AD). If you like, you can consider to even get a denarius (somewhat misleadingly dubbed a "Tribute Penny") for Tiberius, though these can get expensive:[ATTACH=full]872704[/ATTACH]Tiberius, Roman Empire, denarius, 15–18 AD, Lyon mint. Obv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate portrait right. Rev: PONTIF MA[XIM], Livia as Pax seated right on chair with ornately decorated legs, holding sceptre (or spear) and branch. 18mm, 2.8g. Ref: RIC I 28; RSC II 16b; Sear 1763; Giard: Le monnayage de l'atelier de Lyon 1 (1983), group 2, 146. The next emperor, Caligula (r. 37–41 AD), presents a bit of a challenge. Likely due to his short and chaotic reign, his coins are somewhat scarce. You might have to search for a while before finding a reasonably priced and moderately attractive coin, yet, this is certainly possible. The most common type for Caligula are his Vesta asses:[ATTACH=full]872674[/ATTACH]Caligula, Roman Empire, As, 37–38 AD, Rome mint. Obv: C CAESAR GERMANICVS PON M TR POT, bare-headed head left. Rev: VESTA, Vesta seated left holding patera and  sceptre. S–C. 28 mm, 10.18 g. Ref: RIC I, 38. Ex Spartan, ex D. Pichler. While searching for a bronze of Claudius (r. 41–54 AD), which shouldn’t present a problem, you might want to read Robert Graves’ splendid novels “I, Claudius” and “Claudius the God.” Two wonderful books![ATTACH=full]872678[/ATTACH]Claudius, Roman Empire, as, 41–54 AD, Rome mint. Obv: [TI] CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP, bareheaded head of Claudius left. Rev; S–C, Minerva walking left, brandishing javelin and holding shield. 29mm, 10.35g. Ref: RIC I, 100. Finally, we have the infamous Nero (r. 54–68 AD). He is not as hard to find as Caligula but not as easy as Augustus. Look out for an as with a victory reverse, since these tend to be quite affordable:[ATTACH=full]872680[/ATTACH]Nero, Roman Empire, as, 62–68 AD, Rome mint. Obv: NERO CAESAR AVG GERM IMP, laureate head of Nero right. Rev: S-C, Victory with shield walking left, inscription on shield (SPQR) worn away. 28mm, 11.09g. Ref: RIC I, 312. Ex André Cichos. After Nero was killed in 68 AD, civil war broke out and four emperors ruled in quick succession. The year 69 AD thus is known as the “Year of the Four Emperors.” In this set, we are going to skip the short-lived and expensive emperors Galba, Vitellius, and Otho. You can always try to add them at a later point in your collecting career. 2. Flavian dynasty, in silver Both Flavian bronzes and denarii are in the price range of an average collector. Yet, if you try to get the Julio-Claudians in bronze, it might add some interesting diversity to your collection to search for the later emperors in silver. When the rubble cleared in 69 AD, the former consul and successful general Vespasian (r. 69–79 AD) emerged as the new emperor. Denarii of Vespasian, one of the best rulers Rome ever had, are quite common and often very attractive. I like the portrait on this one:[ATTACH=full]872682[/ATTACH]Vespasian, Roman Empire, denarius, 77/78 AD, Rome mint. Obv: CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head of Vespasian right. Rev; ANNONA AVG, Annona seatedleft, holding corn ears. 19mm, 3.33g. Ref: RIC II, 964. Vespasian was succeeded by his elder son Titus (r. 79–81 AD), whose short reign saw a number of major disasters. Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and we all know what happened to Pompeii, Rome burned down in 80 AD, and rebellions broke out in Britannia and Asia Minor. Unlucky Titus died of a fever in 81 AD, only two years after he had become emperor. Due to the shortness of his reign, his coins are less common than those of many other emperors. Thus, if you don’t want to break the bank, you might have to make some compromises when it comes to grade:[ATTACH=full]872681[/ATTACH]Titus (under Vespasian), Roman Empire, denarius, 75–79 AD, Rome mint. Obv: T CAESAR IMP VESPASIANVS, laureate head right. Rev: IOVIS CVSTOS, Jupiter standing left, holding patera and sceptre; altar at left. 19mm, 3.2g. Ref: RIC II, 176 (Vespasian). Ex Sphinx Numismatics (their picture). The last Flavian emperor was Domitian (r. 81–96 AD), Vespasian’s younger son. Here is an attractive and nicely toned denarius of a type which tends to be rather affordable:[ATTACH=full]872679[/ATTACH]Domitian, Roman Empire, denarius, 88/89 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM PM TR P VIII, laureate head of Domitian right. Rev: IMP XIX COS XIIII CENS PP, Minerva standing left holding thunderbolt and spear, leaning on shield. 19mm, 3.22g. Ref: RIC II (2007), 669.[/QUOTE]

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