Achievement Unlocked

I think I've made clear in my time here that I'm particularly fond of Roman Republican denarii with reverses showing animals other than horses. If one goes through all the plates in Crawford Vol. II, it's pretty clear that out of approximately 550 numbered types (plus the many sub-types and variations within those numbers, never mind the hundreds -- if not thousands! -- of different die varieties with various control marks), there are only about 30 or so coins that fit that description. I already have about a dozen of them. So if I have any vague "goal" at all in collecting Republican coins, it's to be able to find and buy nice examples of the other 18 or so someday, however many years it takes. (Not counting the Julius Caesar denarius with the elephant; I doubt I'll ever be in a position to spend that much money on a single coin.)

I'd like to have all the SAECVLARES AVGG antoniniani with animal reverses of Philip I and his family; I have all of them (plus Philip I's elephant ant) already except for the one with the wolf on the reverse. (I don't care about the one with the cippus, even though it's technically part of the series.) So that shouldn't be difficult to complete.

Other than that, my only goal is to continue to buy coins that appeal to me, with an attractive appearance outweighing anything else in importance. Sure, I'd like to have coins with as many different emperors and empresses (and their family members) as is reasonably feasible given the limited amount I'm willing to spend on any one coin, but there's no particular point at which I'd feel I was "finished" (or not).

I'm not very interested in Roman middle or large bronze coins, and doubt I'll ever expand my focus to encompass them on more than a very sporadic basis. The ones that are in good enough condition to appeal to me are simply too expensive. I spend enough money already on Roman coins!

 

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Incredible Collection! So awesome to see all those, especially for a small collector like myself

 

Beautiful set, and well done, @Suarez !

 

I really enjoy your collections, Cuke! But, I think your quote really speaks to me!

I focus on the Roman Republic, and those Entities that interacted with them. I also collect coins that represent critical junctures or people whom affected change in Human History. Most of my collection is BCE. I envy @akeady 's Roman Republic collection and the way he has amassed it. Great stuff.

The RR Entities include the Republic, Early Republic, Carthage, Makedon, Etruria, Italia, Sicily (Rome's first Province, and start of their Empire), et al. I also enjoy Egyptian Royal Scarabs, which represent milestones within their History.

I do have a ragtag / "dog's breakfast" collection of the Roman Rulers. Somehow, they accreted to my collection as gifts to me, sidebar purchases, etc. I finally got a Roman Empire Album to house them. I knew people would not be interested in seeing them, unless I put them in an order, and a means for people (my Grandkids, some family, and some friends), to understand them. Over time, somehow I managed to accumulate 145 different Roman Rulers (from Augustus through the End of the Western Empire). However, this is not a focus of mine.

None of my collecting foci are complete, however, I did get one each of the Etruria AR Coinage denominations (all are very difficult to acquire), and was told that I need to go on to capturing the GOLD denominations of Etruria... Yeah, I like that goal, but that will take a few lifetimes...

Presently, major life changes has slowed my collecting efforts. We hope to move through them, but the Ancient's Collecting is still a roaring fire in my heart.

Roman Republic

RR Anon Ca 240 BCE AR Heavy Quinarius Drachm 16mm 3.0g Rome Helmet Hd Mars r - Horse’s hd sickle Cr 25-2 Syd 25 RSC 34a VeryRare


Carthage

Carthage - Sicily AR Litra 4th C BCE 9.5mm 0.65g Palm Tree Horse Head SNG Cop 74 EE Clain-Safanelli RARE


Italia

Larinum Frentani 210-175 BCE AE Quincunx 22mm 9.8g Mars or Athena corinthian helmet- Galloping Horseman spear sheild tbolt 5 pellets NH Italy 625 BMC 2
SCARCE


Makedon

Makedon Alexander I 498-454 BCE AR Obol 10mm 0.75g Horse - Quadripartite incuse sq SNG ANS 32 Rare


Etruria

Etruria Populonia AR 5 Asses 3rd C BCE 2.0g Young Hd L V behind HN 173 Vecchi Rasna III 52 Vecchi Etruscan 91.6 ex NAC 29 No 9 RARE


Sicily

Sicily Kalakte AE unit 2nd C BCE Head Athena in Helmet - Owl rev RARE


SCARAB

Egypt Scarab RAMESSES II cartouche 19th Dyn 1292-1189 BCE winged uraeus cobra 4.1g 19mm Gustave Mustaki coll acquired fr Egypt in 1948


Yeah, and a "dog's breakfast" of those Roman Empire lunatics:

RI Verina w Leo I AE2 20mm 457-475 Victory inscribing CHI RHO - RIC X 656 R3 RARE

 

Really fantastic achievement, I am trying to emulate this in my own modest way.
I have been slowly collecting each Emperor as I can and literally as I read this post my mail arrived with the following coin. I am not collecting one denomination, although this would have been my preference up to the demise of the Denarius, but any denomination as I afford it. I quickly learnt that I could acquire a Sestertius of some Emperors for a quarter of the cost of a Denarius.

Diadumenian, 217-218. Denarius, Rome. M OPEL ANT DIADVMENIAN CAES Draped and cuirassed bust of Diadumenian to right. Rev. PRINC IVVENTVTIS Diadumenian standing front, his head turned to right, holding standard in his right hand and scepter in his left; to his right, two standards. Cohen 3. RIC 102.
Condition: Very Fine

Weight: 3.25 gr
Diameter: 20 mm

For those following delivery threads, this coin was from the Zeuss March 15th Auction and it was posted on the 24th of March so has taken exactly 2 weeks to arrive and quite frankly I didn't expect it as I thought it might have been stopped in Belgium. The coin, as often is the case, is better in the hand than the catalogue photograph. I attach the catalogue image and I will see if I can improve on them. If you look at the reverse you will see that it appears that the neck of Diadumenian is a weak strike and is missing and his head is "floating" above his shoulders. In the hand, the neck is extant, raised and significant and there is more hair detail than evident. I nearly didn't bid on the coin because of this and after bidding a couple of more were subsequently offered that I preferred so there was an element of disappointment for me. Now I have the coin I am very pleased.

 

You've got a wonderful collection. Certainly, it's the most complete collection (in terms of rulers) that I've seen. I've grappled with whether or not I would go the same route. For the time being, I decided to include the legitimate emperors and the more accessible usurpers. However, with the Western empire, I am stopping at Valentinian III. If I find a tremissis of Libius, Anthemius...etc. in pleasing condition I will go for it, but I know that I will not be able to afford anything like Glycerius, Julius Nepos or Romulus Augustulus. As for the usurpers, I plan to include a few rarities such as Pescennius Niger, Constantine III...etc., but I don't see myself being able to purchase the exceptional rarities such as those in your collection (i.e. Jotapian, Pacatian, Regalianus). I figure for the price of one of these, I could purchase more than one aureus (I am hoping to have 7 or 8 altogether). I suppose that my decision to exclude certain usurpers or rarer emperors also stems from the fact that I purchase coins on the basis of their portraits. Ideally, I would like for all of my coins to be similar in grade. In any case, with what is going on right now, I am going to limit my purchases.