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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 2211810, member: 19463&quot;]I continue to have issues with the concept of collecting the 12 Caesars.&nbsp; It is fine for an advanced collector like Ides to take on this specialty but way too many beginners think this is where they should start collecting.&nbsp; The 12 are famous because one book survived for us to read and the author decided not to include Nerva but to consider Julius a part of the set even though modern accounting does not consider him an emperor. I&#039;d rather see beginners start a Roman collection with twelve important coins spread more evenly over the time Rome was the power in the Mediterranean.&nbsp; Certainly it would not include the insignificant Otho.&nbsp; We could make a case for starting with one coin of the Republic and one of the Imperatorial period (that one could even be Julius Caesar).&nbsp; Who would be the ten or twelve significant Emperors?&nbsp; I&#039;ll suggest a &#039;set&#039; for beginners who want to cover the &#039;big picture&#039;.&nbsp; </p><p>any Republican</p><p>any Imperatorial</p><p>Augustus</p><p>Vespasian</p><p>Trajan</p><p>Marcus Aurelius</p><p>Septimius Severus </p><p>Valerian</p><p>Aurelian</p><p>Diocletian</p><p>Constantine I</p><p>Theodosius I</p><p><br /></p><p>Others will change a few of these but I have a reason for including each one.&nbsp; If I were to think a bit about it, some days I&#039;d probably change a couple.&nbsp; The inability to come up with a definitive list on which everyone would agree means this idea will never fly.&nbsp; The fact remains that ancients are a terrible place for set collectors.&nbsp; It is a great place to buy coins that you like and ignore ones that you don&#039;t.&nbsp; The operative word here is YOU.&nbsp; Buy what you want.&nbsp; If that is the 12 Caesars, please&nbsp; at least tell me you have read Suetonius&#039; book.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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