Top Ten Roman Coins of 2018

10. My interest in ancient coins stems from my love of history. So when the opportunity came to own an interesting historical piece I opened my wallet. So why did I want this ratty old denarius? First of all it gives me a second Tiberius denarius and one I did not have. However, the most important reason is the connection of these coins to an important historical event. In this case it is the revolt of the Iceni against the Romans led by Boudica. Though the literature below says the hoard is only probably related to the revolt, that was enough for me. The thought that this hoard and therefore this coin may be related to such an important figure and such an important event meant that I really wanted one of these coins.The seller had a number of Iceni coins including 3 of the Norfolk God type. Unfortunately those were all sold before I noticed the sale. However, I am very happy with the one I chose.

I also have a copy of the British Numismatic Journal 86 2016 in which the hoard is published.


From Numismatic News

Britain’s “Celtic Coins,” a.k.a. Chris Rudd Ltd., have announced that on Monday, June 4, the firm will be offering for sale coins from the fabled Quidenham hoard via their website: www.celticcoins.com/. The posting is scheduled that morning for 9 a.m. local time.

The hoard consists of 22 Roman silver denarii and 25 Icenian silver units discovered at Quidenham in Norfolk, 2014, by a metal detectorist. It is historically important in that it provides a further numismatic link with Queen Boudica’s rebellion against the Romans in 60-61 C.E. Like contemporary known hoards, it is likely it was concealed during the revolt.

Among other pieces, it contains three examples of the so-called Tribute Penny, denarii of Emperor Tiberius, all minted at Lugdunum (Lyon) post-14 C.E. Full details of the coins can be found inThe British Numismatic Journal86, 2016.

http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/celtic-hoard-to-be-sold-june-4

From Chris Rudd

“In 2014 an important Treasure hoard of 22 Roman silver denarii and 25 Icenian silver units was unearthed at Quidenham, Norfolk. Probably related to Boudica’s revolt in AD 60-61 (Dr John Talbot pers.comm. 26.3.2018), this hoard contains some fascinating types and is offered exclusively to the clients of Chris Rudd. “

“Nos. 19, 20, 21 are said to be the ‘Tribute Penny’ referred to by Jesus in his famous ‘render unto Caesar’ speech (St.Matthew 22.17-21). “

Tiberius ‘Tribute Penny’. AD16-37. Silver denarius.
17mm. 3.48g.
RCV 1763 RIC 26
bold head, clear Livia.
Found Quidenham hoard, Norfolk, 2014. Recorded as Coin #22,
NMS-480CEEunder the portable antiquities scheme.
Purchased from Chris Rudd Numismatics July 23, 2018.

9. I love the portrait on this coin. It is a large silver coin called a Cistophorus and had the value of 3 silver denarii. the obverse is quite simple with a portrait of Augustus and the legend "IMP CAESAR". The reverse is more detailed and depicts a sign often associated with Augustus- the Capricorn. It spells out "Augustus" and the device are all surrounded by a laurel wreath.

I wanted a Cistophorus for my 12 Caesars collection. I already have a denarius and by chance this coin also features a Capricorn on the reverse. I love the heft of this coin. there is nothing quite like handling an ancient chunk of silver like this.

The coin will make an excellent addition to my 12 Caesars collection.

Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). AR cistophorus
(25mm, 10.86 gm, 12h).
NGC VG 5/5 - 2/5.
Pergamum, ca. 27-26 BC.
Obv: IMP •-CAE-SAR, bare head of Augustus right
Rev: AVGVSTVS, Capricorn right, head left, bearing cornucopia on back; all within laurel wreath.
RIC I 477. RPC 2211.
Heritage Auctions August 30, 2018 Lot 231835


8. I knew when I saw this coin that I wanted it. I already have the Domitian with the Pegasus reverse. When I saw this Vespasian with a Pegasus reverse I wondered why this reverse would be on a coin of Vespasian. It appears as if this coin is a mule. The obverse portrait is muled with the Domitian Pegasus reverse.

The mysterious 'O' mint is one mint where this practice is known. There is an 'O' on these coins but little else is known about this mint. In RIC II Part one, the authors tentatively assign this group of denarii to Ephesus. The truth is the location of the 'O' mint is unknown.

This coin is another example of where the obverse is not the most attractive side of the coin. Imho the reverse is not only more interesting but features a very well rendered depiction of Pegasus. The engraving is truly artistic.

This leads me to another aspect of these coins-the legends are often blundered for this mint. Why the celators would take so much care with the devices and not as much with the legends is another 'O' mint mystery.

Mysterious or not, I was immediately attracted to this coin. I feel very lucky to have landed it because it is one of only a handful of examples I have seen or know about.


Vespasian (69-79). AR Denarius
(18.5mm, 2.77g, 6h).
Ephesus? , c. AD 76.
Obv: Laureate head r.IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG
Rev: Pegasus stepping r. COS - VII
RIC II 1473; RSC 114a; RPC II 1451.
Rare, Good Fine
St Paul Antiquities Auction 18 Lot 347 October 13, 2018


7. This is my second denarius of Vitellius and completes my second 12 Caesars set in silver. Yes, it is a worn coin but better examples tend to sell for a lot of money. On the obverse is a portrait of Vitellius while on the reverse are depictions of his 2 children as confronted busts. Not too long after this coin was minted Vespasian came to power and minted a coin not unlike this one. On that coin Vespasian is on the obverse and his two sons Domitian and Titus are on the reverse.

I was very happy to get this coin. I had been looking for one of these for over 2 years so when I found this one I was thrilled. The legends are quite readable in most cases and the quality of the silver is excellent. This coin shall have an important place within my 12 Caesars sets. I need just 3 coins for a third set of the 12 Caesars and one of these is a Vitellius. I may therefore be looking for yet another Vitellius soon. I hope that I can find another interesting reverse for my next Vitellius denarius.

Vitellius (AD 69). AR denarius (18mm, 2.95 gm, 5h).
NGC VG 4/5 - 4/5.
Rome.
Obv: A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head of Vitellius right
Rev: LIBERI IMP GERM AVG, bareheaded and draped busts of the children of Vitellius (Aulus Vitellius Germanicus Junior and Vitellia), facing one another.
RIC I 101.
Purchased from Heritage Auctions Lot 65074 November 29, 2018.





6. This is one of several Ephesian denarii I have for Vespasian. I am finding myself attracted to these issues because of the very interesting portraits on the obverses. I have become very interested in the placement of or the lack of symbols appearing on these coins. Some coins have no mintmark while others do have one which can take several forms. I find the inner working of the mint fascinating and I wonder what the thinking process was for including or not including a mintmark as well as for whether to include one at all.

Vespasian, 69-79. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.11 g, 1 h), Ephesus, 69-70. IMP CAESAR VESPAS AVG Laureate head of Vespasian to right. Rev. LIBERI IMP AVG VESPAS Titus and Domitian, veiled and togate, standing front, each with patera. BMC 430. Cohen 248. RIC 1395. RPC II 805. Rare. Minor marks and slightly rough, otherwise, about very fine.
From the R. Marbacher Collection, Switzerland.
Leu Numismatic December 09 2018 Lot 908


5. This coin barely made it into my top 5. I am thrilled to have bought my second denarius of Otho. Otho was the second of the emperors n the year of the four emperors in 69 CE. After losing a battle to Aulus Vitellius he took his own life rather than needlessly spill more blood.

I absolutely love the portrait on this coin. It is rendered in a truly artistic style. The PONT MAX reverse is rarer than the SECURITAS reverse of my first coin of OTHO. This coin was struck on a rather large flan and the quality of silver is very nice indeed.

After winning this coin I was contacted by Dr. Jyrki Muona who informed me that the coin once belonged to him. Dr. Muona has written on the topic of coins of Otho including the paper "The Rome mint coins of Marcus Salvius Otho". I am very pleased to own a coin of Otho from his collection.

Some have claimed that Otho was an insignificant historical figure and that his coins are only collected because collecting the 12 Caesars based on the book by Suetonius means that one needs a coin of Otho. I would have to disagree. Otho ruled in a time of civil war during a truly formative century for the Roman empire. He also gave his life to spare others. To me this makes him significant enough for me.

Otho, 69.
Denarius, Rome;
3.03 g.
Obv: Head r .IMP M OTHO CAESAR AUG TR P
Rev:Equitas stands l. with scales and scepter. PONT MAX
BMC 6; Coh. 9; RIC² 19.
Fine tone fine
Ex: Dr. Jryki Muona Collection
auction Fritz Rudolf Künker 304, Osnabrück March 2018, No. 1073
auction Fritz Rudolf Künker 312, Osnabrück October 2018, No. 2822




4. This is my third denarius of Caligula. Yes, I know the coin has a few problems. The is a chip on the reverse, and there are deposits on both sides of the coin. Having said that, the quality of the silver is very good and the coin feels nice and solid to the touch.

I bought this coin for the artistic portrait of Caligula. I was really quite taken by it. I also like that most of the legend is present and readable. I did not need another denarius of Caligula, but when I saw the coin I had to have it. This coin will make an excellent addition to my 12 Caesars set.

Denarii of Caligula are scarce and they are sought after. It is the perfect storm as far as prices for these are concerned. It is not only the 12 Caesars collectors that drive up the prices for these denarii it is also the reputation of the man. Who would not like to have a coin of this murderous and insane monster that also happens to be a fascinating historical figure?

If you do not want to shell out the money for a denarius, the Vesta reverse As is available quite readily and for very reasonable prices. Everyone should have a coin of this remarkable and storied individual.

Gaius (Caligula), with Divus Augustus. AD 37-41. AR Denarius
(17.5mm, 3.26 g, 5h).
Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. 1st emission, AD 37.
Obv :Bare head of Gaius (Caligula) right C. CAESAR. AVG. GERM. P. M. TR. POT. COS
Rev: Radiate head of Divus Augustus right, between two stars.
RIC I 2; Lyon 157; RSC 11.
Fine, toned, deposits, chipped at edges, a few scratches.
CNG E-auction 428 Lot 344 September 5, 2018



3. I have several denarii of Galba. I purchased this one because I really liked the portrait. The bust is of high relief and seems to almost jump off of the coin. As you can read in the attribution, this coin was purchased from the Gemini auction held by Harlan Berk. Before that this coin was the property of a well known collector-Dr. Jyrki Muona. This is my second Galba denarius from his collection. The other one is in an earlier post on this site.

Another interesting fact about this coin is where it was minted. This coin was minted in Spain, specifically in Tarraco. Spanish mint denarii of Galba are sought after and actively collected. I think that one of the reasons for this has to do the interesting portraits on these coins.

Of course the reverse on this coin is also interesting. Though the full legend is not on the reverse, it was supposed to read "Libertas Restitvta" or Liberty Restored. The suicide of Nero led to a civil war. As the next emperor it was in Galba's interest to present as rosy a picture of the empire as possible. The restoration of liberty would have been a popular message with the roman populace.



"On the Paris specimen of this coin the scepter on reverse has a thickened upper end, so Cohen thought it was a thyrsus and called the figure Ariadne. On the BM specimen the scepter has no bulge at the end, but Mattingly still followed Cohen in calling it a "thyrsus(?)", and suggested that the figure was a Bacchante, the type perhaps referring to "some kindness that Galba rendered to Spain in the form of removal of restrictions on the culture of vines" (Introduction, p. ccix). It seems more probable that the deity is just Libertas, as named in the legend, and that the cup she apparently empties on several dies, replacing her normal cap of liberty, is merely an engraver's whim or error."
(Description by Curtis Clay from original auction listing)


Galba. 68-69 AD. Denarius, 3.50gg. (5h). Tarraco. Obv: GALBA - IM[PERATOR] Head laureate right on globe. Rx: LIB - [ERTAS] - RESTITVTA Libertas standing left, apparently emptying a cup and holding scepter. BM 198, pl. 54.3. RIC 9 (R2), pl. 24 (the BM spec.). Cf. Paris 12, pl.III (apparently no globe below bust). Cohen 133 (120 Fr.). VF.
Ex Jyrki Muona Collection.
Ex Gemini XIV April 2018 Lot 475.
Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database.



2.This was my second denarius of Gaius. I was extremely happy to get this one. I know the surfaces are a bit rough, but it is still a VF example of a rare coin. Denarii of Caligula do not show up for sale very often outside of large auction houses. When they do appear they are often very expensive. I waited for about 2 1/2 years for a coin like this to show up. As soon as it did I bought it.

I want to share a quick word about where I bought this coin. It was a purchase from Forum Ancient Coins. Coins are guaranteed authentic for eternity, and the service is second to none. Forum is also an incredible source of information concerning ancient coins. If you have a question about ancient coins, chances are that question has been asked and answered on Forum Ancient Coins. Many experts frequent this site and they are always willing to share their expertise.

Anyone trying to assemble a set of the 12 Caesars in silver will need to find a denarius or a drachm of Gaius. His is one of the most difficult to add along with denarii of Claudius and Otho. It has also been suggested by some that it is the fault of 12 Caesars collectors that drives the prices so high. While true that there is a lot of competition for these coins when they appear, it is also true that there are alternatives to the denarii of Gaius. One popular choice is the Vesta As. These are quite common and can be had in nice condition for reasonable prices.

On the obverse we have the typical portrait of Gaius, while on the reverse we see a portrait of his great grandfather Augustus. Augustus is depicted as a Divus or god. The reverse legend "Pater Patriae" refers to Augustus as the father of the country. One reason Augustus was on the reverse was to remind the people of Rome of their emperor's connection to the Julio-Claudian ruling dynasty.

Why are denarii of Gaius so scarce? One explanation is has to do with Gresham's law or bad money drives out good money. The theory is that the monetary reforms of Nero, which debased to coinage in both weight and fineness, caused people to hoard the older more valuable coins of emperors like Caligula and Claudius. The problem with this explanation is that there are plenty of "tribute penny" denarii of Tiberius. The other possibility is that perhaps smaller numbers of Gaius' denarii were originally minted. Maybe there was already enough silver coinage circulating and therefore fewer were needed. Whatever the real reason, we are unlikely to ever get a satisfactory answer.


Gaius, Silver denarius, RIC I 16 (R2, Rome), RSC I 2, Lyon 167, BnF II 21, BMCRE I 17, cf. SRCV I 1807 (aureus), VF, toned, attractive portraits, bumps and marks, some pitting, lamination defects, ex jewelry, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, weight 3.443g, maximum diameter 18.2mm, die axis 180o, 2nd emission, 37 - 38 A.D.; obverse C CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR POT (counterclockwise from lower right), laureate head of Caligula right; reverse DIVVS AVG PATER PATRIAE (counterclockwise from lower right), radiate head of Divus Augustus right; ex Classical Numismatic Group, e-auction 69 (23 July 2003), lot 90
Ex: Forum Ancient coins, March 2, 2018.


1. This coin could only be #1. This coin features a lifetime portrait of Julius Caesar as dictator. It took me a while to find one that I liked. When these come up for auction there is much competition for them. It is not that they are particularly rare, one can find numerous examples for sale at any given time, it is the fact that these are sought after by many collectors. A lifetime portrait of Julius Caesar is a major purchase (at least for me), and would be the centerpiece of many ancient coin collections.

This particular coin features a portrait of Julius Caesar on the obverse with the legend “Caesar Imp”, meaning Julius Caesar Imperator. At this time “Imperator” did not exactly mean emperor it was more like victorious general. On the reverse we see Venus standing and the name of the moneyer who issued the coin. Venus is important as Julius Caesar claimed he was a descendant of Venus. The moneyer’s name is P. Sepullius Macer. On some other lifetime denarii the obverse legend is “Dict Perpetuo” or dictator for life. For some Romans this was too much to stand for. The Romans had a troubled history with their kings and did not want to return to those times. Some believe that this coin so troubled high ranking Romans that it led to the assassination of Ceasar.

One fascinating aspect of these lifetime denarii is that they were minted before the assassination. This coin in particular was issued near the end of February which means it was minted mere weeks before the death of Julius Caesar on March 15. One of the ideas that attracted me to ancient coins in the first place concerned holding a piece of important history in one’s hand. It can be argued that the life and death of Caesar were very important to history. Holding one of these coins takes us back to an important and fascinating historical period.

As to the coin itself, it is struck on a large flan, the portrait is well centered, the obverse legend is very easy to read, and the reverse is quite pleasing as well with good details preserved. The obverse portrait has a deep scratch across the head. However, given the other qualities of the coin this was easy to overlook.


Julius Caesar. AR Denarius, 44 BC.
(19.00 mm 3.68 g)
Obv:. Laureate head right; before, CAESAR IMP; behind, star of eight rays.
Rev: P. SEPVLLIVS MACER. Venus standing left, holding Victory and sceptre (resting on star?).
Cr. 480/5b RSC 41 BMC 4165 Syd 1071Sear (2000) 1412
A very elegant portrait. Perfectly struck on broad flan. Areas of flatness and scratch on obverse, otherwise about VF.
Ex: Artemide Asti E-Auction 43 E, June 9, 2018.



So, there you have it. These coins above constitute what I think were my top ten coins I purchased n the past year. I had to leave a number of coins off of the list. For me ordering the bottom 5 coins was hard but I believe that the top 5 were never in doubt.

 

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Nice coin's and enjoyable write ups. My favorites:

#1 - A great buy and a nice portrait

#3 - Very cool Spanish denarii

#9 - Like a denarius found the weight room. A nice coin and I'm sure fantastic in hand.

#10 - Cool historical connection.

 

Fantastic.....I don't think anyone could wish for a better set of 1st century silver, some truly great portraits I like them all.

 

Great coins all.. you had a banner year! Fantastic collection.

 

Some wonderful examples @Orfew. I think you have found yourself a collecting niche.

 

Excellent coins

 

Great coins all around. I think my favorite of the bunch is that pegasus though. Absolutely beautiful.

 

Thanks to all for the kind comments. I had a lot of fun acquiring these.

 

Super Denarii, @Orfew ! My favorite is the Otho

 

EXCELLENT @Orfew ! In light of your famed 12 Caesars collection, I would think you would be posting your "TOP 12" for the year!

Lovem all! You and I focus in a little bit different areas, but we are BOTH MOTIVATED the same way: Collecting HISTORY!!! Big fun, and very rewarding.

Congrats on a Super Year! Done and dusted: now it will be fun to see what you capture for next year! Bon chance!

 

Don't tell us it was a bad year !
Some great stuff in there

Q

 

The Galba is my overall favourite but all are outstanding additions to your collection. I especially like the Quidenham provenance of your ‘Tribute Penny’. And, dude, two Caligula denarii?... in a year?! I think it’s safe to say you’ve outdone yourself.

 

Great coins @Orfew you had a great year! My favorite of your top 10 is the Augustus cistophorus. Your Otho denarius it's also really nice.

 

I can't really argue with your #1 pick and all the coins are very good choices. A very satisfying numismatic year for you!

 

What a great year it was for you! Any one of those could be my number 1 for the year.

 

Killer silver!!! I think you have 'em in the right order as well!

I really like the Titus and Domitian TOGA PARTY!! reverse!

 

Great set of AR, @Orfew!! A great year overall too!

That cistophorus is making me drool...

 

Wow! What a great year you had!

 

Congrats on a fine year, Orfew. It's hard to pick a favorite with so many special coins .

 

The hoard coin connection of the Tiberius denarius is wonderful Andrew!