Common emperors that you're missing?

Surprisingly I've never had a Claudius II until a present of a few years ago. Ditto, Quintillus. Coins of 268-70 never really appealed to me, and the Sestertii are unobtanium.

I am still kicking myself for not buying a solid (billon) silver Antoninianus of Claudius II. Ancientcoinsca offered one or two about 15 years ago.

To the best of my recollection, I'm missing: Lucius Verus, Quietus, Florian, Carus, Magnentius, Procopius and Valentinian II. I'm not sure about Allectus. I may have one.

There may be a Lucius Verus in the bag of 100 or so VG Asses/Dupondii from the 1st-2nd century which I purchased in the 90s, but since I hid the bag too well when I was moving into the house, I don't know. It's certainly an enduring mystery. There may be a provincial in the provincial bag.

I just never really got around to the missing ones; they're generally of secondary interest to me and opportunity cost would come up.


EDIT: "Common" is a subjective term, so my baseline is whether one can pick up an example of said emperor for $200 or less. Marius is on the edge of this criteria. I'm also missing Marius.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Of the ones you said you are missing, I am missing Quietus and Florian. Quite surprised that I am missing so few of those.

I am missing quite a few wives/sisters/daughters though - which is not Ok according to my 5 year old daughter

 

I have done well with the Roman Emperors & even their ladies & children.

It's the other end of the spectrum I lack, Greeks! About 14 years I have been collecting ancients & I only have 35 Greek coins, thats pretty sad. Especially when there is many that are affordable.

I just tend to drift into Romans, Eastern *Parthia & the like*, medieval & world moderns more.

 

I'd love to collect Bactrian Tetradrachms. About the only affordable one I've come across of the Attic standard was this:



The porosity made it affordable, although it looks better in person.

I once came across a very decrepit small module Tet (Menander?) in an HJB junkbox.

There's just so much to collect. If I had Bill Gates' type money, I could collect everything, but except for Alexander and the gang, I usually only pick up a Greek coin here and there.

 

Valentinian II could very well be in my decrepit uncleaned AE3's, but since they came out like messy floor sweepings, that doesn't really count.

I stink at cleaning coins . I also think that most all of them were in rock crusher condition. Olive oil just didn't work for me.

 

I don't know about other small time collectors but I actually know 110% what is in my collection....I buy maybe 2 to 3 coins a month and so I'm in the position of never having coins in my possession that I don't realise I have!??...A strange scenario indeed!..
."There maybe a Lucius Verus in the bag"!!??..
.I spent nearly 12 months trying to pickup this ruler...Anyhow here he is just to add a coin to the thread ...

 

For Roman denarii, I'm good from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius except for Caligula. I've tended to focus on first and second century denarii because I find that the emperors are very recognizable and the style is fantastic - often like miniature sculptures! I tend to cluster more around emperors I like, such as Hadrian, or historical types, such as the Titus "elephant" denarius, Trajan's column, or the Septimius Severus / Geta / Caracalla "Victoriae Brit" series.

As I get into antoninianii it's a bit more hit and miss; I am less enthusiastic about billon and bronze, and sold a portion of my early collection back in my EBay selling days, although I have actually been adding back a few more recently. I didn't have a Postumus for the longest time (my example turned out to be an Aureolus instead), so I acquired a few examples last year. They are pretty common and affordable in good grades. I also wanted a Trajan Decius "Dacia" antoninianus and wound up acquiring a few examples of this type as well this year (I kept upgrading until I got one in the condition I wanted, but have not unloaded the others yet). Lastly, I acquired a coin of Marius in a lot recently, which is a scarcer emperor that I didn't have either. Still no Quintillus, and I sold my Tetricus I and II coins a long time ago and haven't replaced them yet...

 

I have yet to figure out how to tell if a coin was minted under Aureolus.

 

There were 100 coins originally in the bag. A certain dealer would have deals on cheap (c. $1.50) bulk coins during the late 90s; As-sized Imperials and provincials and trachaea. They weren't too bad, actually, mostly VG. The imperials bag was the only one to be misplaced, and I had plucked out many of the 'better' ones.

I was in my early 20s at the time with a commensurate budget, or else I would have bought hundreds.

I remember many coins vividly, but there's been plenty of times where I'll go through coins and come across many which I've completely forgotten about. One can't have a photographic memory of everything.

 

Severus Alexander- they're as cheap as they come, but i'm yet to get one.
I have none of the Severan women other than a cruddy Domna.
None of the Tetrachs other than Diocletian
Philip the Arab
Probus
and many others...

 

I'm not a "one of"-collector and thus don't really seek to pick up as many Roman emperors as possible. Instead, I collect by historical and numismatic interest as well as eye-appeal. Still, there are some emperors missing from my collection that I would like to see in there for some reason:

Galba, Otho, Vitellius: The year of the four emperors is such a well-known chapter in Roman history that I would like to also have it in coins. A couple of years I passed on an authentic and attractive yet holed Otho denarius that the seller wanted to part with for relatively little money. I still regret this decision.

Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus: One of my collecting interests is the Severan dynasty. It would thus be nice to have some coins from the turbulent times during which Septimius Severus rose to power.

Laelianus, Marius: I collect coins of Postumus and would love to also have his short-lived opponent and successor in my trays.

 

Very good thread.
I keep my collection well organized (which is not common for my lifestyle) and I considered several times to create a list of emperors I have and I need.
My initial plan was to have at least 1 coin for each (imperial bronze and/or silver and/or provincial). But this is not an option as some emperors are expensive and I simply don't want to pay 2-300 EUR for a very low end example (and for some, this would be very optimistic) just to have this box ticked. I prefer spending 200 EUR for 4 nice coins even if I have those emperors.

Looking at the rulers list (including people who were never emperors) here are the ones that are missing (completely) and the prices should not be prohibitive
- Agrippa (I would like the Neptune As but never got an example being nice for the eyes and for the pocket)
- Galba and Otho (especially Otho). The coins I have seen having prices I could afford were too ugly. I am not a condition snob - I have coins in my collection that others would refuse and I like them. But everything has a limit, especially when they are expensive
- Cloudius Albinus (simply didn't like what I saw)
- Diadumenian (I need to get a provincial someday, I like the Deultum provincial with the she wolf and twins and I lost a coin I very much regret, having a superb glossy green patina)
- Aquilia Severa - an average antoninianus shouldn't be very expensive but most likely I ignored her in auctions
- Orbiana - same as above, I would need at least a provincial
- Herennius Etruscus and Hostilian (my interest starts to decrease chronologically starting this era)
- Aemilian, Mariniana, Quietus, Marius, Laelianus, Tacitus, Florian, Magnia Urbica, Carausius, Allectus, Theodora, Galerius, Galeria Valeria, Maximinus Daia, Maxentius, Fausta, Licinius II, Decentius, Jovian, Theodosius I , Magnus Maximus and all the rulers after him except Honorius and Arcadius
Some of them are common but I will only buy their coins if I find a true bargain.

My interest in Imperial coinage kinda stops at Postumus. The coins I have after Postumus were mainly snacks - I saw it, I liked it, I got it. I also managed to get many LRBs I found iconic in design but I am not developing this area. I recently got a decent Honorius with bust facing - mainly because I found the facing bust a nice variety compared to most Roman coins and I think that was a predecessor for Byzantine coinage. Got it for 19 EUR but my maximum bid would have been 20.

I do not intend to get very rare emperors. And even for the common ones, adding a Tacitus for example is not a priority. I would prefer a 1st or 2nd century denarius, it can be in an average condition, but I want to like it.
A ruler that is common-ish and I would like a modest denarius - Augustus (but not the Caius and Lucius denarius). Another main target for me - a coin with Caesar's portrait, I would be happy even with a Divus Julius from Thessalonika.

 

I try to stay under $20 for a coin. Only on very few occasions have I spent more than that. And only one time have I spent close to $100 (which about gave me a heart attack).
Like @ambr0zie , I'd rather have something I like than just another hole filled.
That being said, I've had a lot of fun going through and picking up some pretty good deals on less common emperors. Some of the coins aren't beautiful but for the price paid, they are worth it to me.

 

The price I pay for a coin very much depends on how much I want it.
I paid 120 EUR + taxes on a Julia Titi dupondius. Was that OK? I don't regret it as I don't know when will I find the next Julia Titi.


But this is not a habit as I bought plenty of coins in the 10-30 EUR range and I am happy with them.
I don't know if I will buy an Otho for example. Limit would be 200 EUR and the Otho I could find in this price would not be a beauty, so it makes me wonder if I really want one.

Example of a fresh hole filler - Procopius


Budget friendly, decent portrait, readable obverse legend.
Will have to check it in hand if I could pinpoint the mintmark to have it fully attributed.
I paid 17 EUR on it. Would not have paid more than 20.

 

From the Imperial series, I'm down to just the handful of figures that would swallow a good chunk of the year's budget to acquire.

I'm missing and definitely hope to acquire:
- Statilia Messalina
- Gordian II
- Laelianus
- Cornelia Supera
- Nigrinian
- Eugenius
- Constantius III (he was recognized so I count him as official)
- Leo II

I'm on the fence about:
- Vespasian Jr (I keep getting blown out of the water)
- Uranius
- Julian of Pannonia (pricey but not insane)
- Domitius Domitianus
- Alexander of Carthage
- Martinian
- Nepotian
- All of the usurpers of 408-413
- All western emperors after 455

One area I really need to focus on is the Imperatorial period. I've spent more money on less important figures, and yet I still don't have a Brutus, a Caesar elephant denarius, or a halfway presentable Antony legion denarius. As someone who also collects by type, I've owned about 4-5 Caesar posthumous types, and ended up selling all of them. By the time push comes to shove and I get outbid on any of the above, I've already used up my budget on other stuff. Probably doesn't help that I know that none of those types are rare, and I'll always have another opportunity to win one next month.

 

There are really a lot of emperors, Caesars, and Imperial wives and other family members whom I am missing. Some common, some not so common, and some easily obtainable but only at a very high price. Although I've already mentioned, in the Volusian thread, that "one per emperor" is no longer a goal of mine even for those available relatively cheaply.

First, out of the 12 Caesars, I'm still missing Julius Caesar and Otho (see the 12 Caesars thread).

Here are others among the missing:

Drusus Major (Nero Claudius Drusus); the two Agrippinas; Trajan's wife and female relatives (Plotina, Marciana, & Matidia); Pertinax, Didius Julianus, & Pescennius Niger; Annia Faustina (definitely not common!); the Gordians I & II (also not common!); Aemilian; Macrianus I & II (know nothing about them); Regalianus (same); Laelianus, Victorinus; Tetricus I & II; Quintillus; Florianus; Nigrinian; Carausius & Allectus; Helena; Severus II; Theodora; Constantius Gallus; Nepotian; Vetranio; Magnentius; Decentius; Jovian; Aelia Flacilla; Magnus Maximus & Flavius Victor; Eugenius; Galla Placidia; Theodosius II.

 

I am missing way more then what I have/ these coins are always avaliable in auctions/ my problem is "lack of funds"

 

Laelianus. Vitellius. Gordian I and II. Didius. Clodius Albinus. Nigrinian. Romulus. Any western empire coin after Honorius.

Usual unobtainable third century usurpers.

 

Well don't look at me for future presents, my avatar coin is actually a bronze medallion of Claudius II tho my user name here is Gallienus. Actually I only have 1 low end Gallienus antonninanus: bought many yaren ago for $17.

I don't have any Nerva nor Septimus Severus in any denomination nor any grade. Nor a Vitellius and only a ratty Barbarous Claudius Aes. I don't think I have any coin of Valarian after missing out on a simply stunning sesterius that the dealer representing me refused to buy because it might cost $50 more than they thought it was worth. Possibly the finest one extant.

 

This thread needs more pictures.
Here are a few of my "less common" ones. All, minus Allectus, cost less than $20.

Allectus


Carus


Flavius Victor

Jovian

Severus II

Vetranio


Clearly, Im not a condition snob