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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;IdesOfMarch01, post: 2257184, member: 39084&quot;]In the last few years, progress on completing my Twelve Caesars AE collection (sestertii and dupondius/as) has been very slow.&nbsp; It was only after assembling the complete set of aurei and denarii that I decided to expand my collection to include sestertii and small bronzes, and even after five years some bronzes remain elusive.</p><p><br /></p><p>The recent NAC auction -- the first half of the Mike Gasvoda collection -- was beneficial in providing both a needed upgrade to one of my bronzes, as well as a difficult addition of a small bronze.&nbsp; I also have the great good fortune of sharing the same dealer who had guided Mike in the acquisition of the vast majority of his coins -- a dealer who was effusively praised in the actual NAC catalog issued in advance of the auction.&nbsp; This dealer was intimately acquainted with most of the coins and provided invaluable insight and suggestions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bronzes of Augustus can be hard to find.&nbsp; When Augustus finally consolidated his rule, according to RIC: </p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;... coinage had consisted, in its final stages, of a flood of silver denarii with intermittent aurei, supported by a token coinage of bronze which had become irregular in both weight and output; this <i>aes</i>, in fact, had not been produced at Rome since c.80 BC, succeeding decades having had to rely partly upon the remains of earlier <i>aes</i> issues.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>Augustus systematized Roman coinage and established the large orichalcum sestertius as its foundation, but never struck portrait sestertii at Rome during his lifetime.&nbsp; Portrait sestertii instead were struck mainly at Lugdunum (modern day Lyon), where Augustus erected the famous altar of the cult of Rome and Augustus.&nbsp; The sestertii and asses both contained this altar on their reverses.</p><p><br /></p><p>Although struck in great quantities, these bronzes saw heavy circulation and few survive today in other than heavily worn condition.&nbsp; My current coin is graded VF and has very good obverse portrait relief:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]447554[/ATTACH] </p><p>AUGUSTUS</p><p>AE Sestertius (25.72 g.)&nbsp; Lugdunum circa 9 - 14 A.D.</p><p>CAESAR AVGVTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE Laureate head of Augustus r. Rev. ROM ET AVG Altar of Lugdunum.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse shows typical circulation wear but the main devices and legend are quite legible and this is a good coin for the issue.&nbsp; (This coin will be seeking a new home in the near future.)&nbsp; However, the NAC auction provided an opportunity for an upgrade that I couldn&#039;t resist:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]447555[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The obverse portrait and relief on this coin is even better than my first one, and the reverse devices are much better defined.&nbsp; Only the reverse legend (ROM ET AVG) is less well struck on this coin.&nbsp; Overall, an upgrade with which I&#039;m quite pleased.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Next: A difficult-to-find small bronze of an emperor who reigned only briefly.</i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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