Marcus Aurelius close up studies

Took some macro studies of 4 of my Marcus Aurelius coins this morning and thought I would share. My primary interest is in portraits. The first one is nicely detailed. The other 3 are worn but if a worn coin has an interesting profile I'll still go for it. Click for big size. Thanks for looking!

 

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Lovely coins!

 

Those are very nice portraits, Macromius. Marcus Aurelius portraits vary widely in terms of artistic quality and yours are top o' the line. My few MA bronzes are pretty awful, but here are a couple of worn, but I think attractive, young portraits of Aurelius in silver, one beardless:

 

@Marsyas Mike Thanks Mike. I really like your young beardless Aurelius. Beautiful!

If anyone has even younger portraits I'd like to see them.

 

They do vary and the first op coin has that Donald Sutherland look. Nice portraits!

 

Sweet!! I have yet to delve into his coinage, wait, I think I have a denarius of his Wife. Anyway, I love how drastically his appearance changes on his coinage. The many faces of Marcus! Lol

 

I believe my youngest is the denarius shared with Pius.


This one is fourree so many not count. Still, the Aurelius portrait is not all that bad. It certainly is better than the Pius.


My youngest bronze is this older, bearded sestertius from late in the Caesarship (158-9 AD)

 

I am under no illusion that I will get a coin from each emperor. However, I am trying to get at least one coin from some of the most effective or infamous ones. In the past year I've added my first coins of Caracalla, Commodus, and Hadrian. Marcus Aurelius is next on the list. Hoping for a bronze type with the mature beard of the Greek philosopher. It's nice to see these portrait options.

 

That is indeed a very young Marcus and a truly beautiful denarius. The Pius portrait is impressive. I like the fourree Marcus as well. It's interesting that the distinctive hair is already apparent.

 

I believe we agree on what I consider the proper order of acquisitions. I hate to see new collectors starting out feeling pressured to buy an Otho/Didius Julianus/Alexander of Carthage class coin when they have no Vespasian, Septimius Severus or Diocletian. I suppose we could define a new collection set called the Twelve least consequential Caesars consisting of me who could disappear from history with no one noticing. I have no particular drive to get a coin from each emperor but, after collecting for most of my life, I might be allowed the urge to get some of these footnote guys.

This sounds like a plan worthy of emulation. The only plan I like better is to feel free to get your second or two hundredth coins of these "effective and infamous ones." My plan is to go to a show or open an auction listing and see what is there that strikes me as something I wish I owned. This is not random gathering but the realization that you need to buy things when they are available to avoid wishing you had when they are not. The coin I want the most is the one I never knew existed or never thought I would be able to own.

 

I like Doug's approach to collecting. Being surprised is a big part of it for me - I don't really know what I want until I see it, and sometimes only after I get it in hand.

For instance, after many years of collecting, I just got my first Gallienus, one of the most common emperors out there - it's not that I was avoiding him, I was just waiting for an attractive one that fit in my budget (not an easy fit, as it turned out). I'm very happy with it - the Apollo reverse, the sand patina. There are a lot better ones out there and maybe someday I'll land one, but like all the rest of my collection, it'll be by chance.





Even further off topic in regards to Marcus Aurelius, but I just got a batch of cheap Byzantines recently, and it was a tiny, very ragged half tetarteron of Manuel I that was my favorite - believe me, I was not "in the market" for a half tetarteron - it was something about the way St. George looked, some aspect that just appealed (or "spoke") to me. I'll keep an eye out for a better one, but something else unexpected will probably crop up...and I like this one well enough.



Sorry to ramble - I'll end with a Marcus Aurelius that I bought a few years back on eBay - it was listed as Antoninus Pius. The large eye appeals to me - I sometimes suspect an Eastern mint for some of these:

 

That's a nice group of classic MA portraits, @Macromius. I tend to like the ones in bronze best.

I'll throw in two youthful provincial portraits.

THRACE, Philippopolis. AE26.


EGYPT, Alexandria. Billon Tetradrachm.


And here's a posthumous issue. AE Sestertius, struck under Commodus.

 

I definitely agree that sometimes you have to take what the market gives you.

 

Nice MA Portraits!! Here is my only young portrait. A non-radiate dupondius.

 

Very nice!

 

I only have a couple of his coins but do have this young portrait.

 

MARCUS AURELIUS:

RI MARCUS AURELIUS AR Den as Caesar TR POT VI COS II - Genius stg at altar hldg standard


RI Aurelius Marcus 161-180 AE Sestertius S-C

 

Let me add two mature portraits to this growing thread

 

I received my first ever Marcus Aurelius today and took some macro photos, this looks like the best thread to share them in. I look for a good, strong portrait more than anything else on ancient coins and yeah, MA sure is more hit and miss than many other emperors in that regard.. This one I quite liked, especially the eye which has been rendered more realistically than on some portraits I've seen. All this is of course just my own personal preference, there's nothing wrong with liking the large eyes. You could say there's something for everyone in MA's portraiture . He does look like Donald Sutherland at times though doesn't he? It's the shape of the nose I'm sure..