HISTORICAL ANCIENT ROMAN COINS

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Vespasian Denarius 69-79 CE

Vespasian Denarius 69-79 CE

Yes, this is yet another denarius of Vespasian. I like his coins for the variety they offer. There are many interesting reverses on his coinage. this one has an exceptional portrait. You might notice a difference in the portrait style of the denarius when compared to other denarii of Vespasian. This coin was minted in Ephesus. Apparently, the engravers that worked in that mint included some masters of the art. Compare the portrait style to the Rome mint denarii I posted earli

Domitian Denarius 81-96 CE

Domitian Denarius 81-96 CE

At first glance, this denarius looks exactly like the last Domitian (RIC 3) that I posted a couple of days ago. There is one significant difference. Take a look at the reverse on this coin below, and the reverse on RIC 3 that I referred to above. On the in the photo below you will see the same triangular frame as RIC 3, but below the frame you will see a strange shape. It is a Lituus, a device like a crooked wand, used in augury. As is true with RIC 3, this coin was issued ve

Nero Denarius 54-68 CE

Nero Denarius 54-68 CE

I knew when I started building my 12 Caesars collection that I would eventually want a pre-reform denarius of Nero. The problem is that these are quite scarce in any condition. Also, there is much competition for them the they do appear for sale. Denarii like this one were minted before Nero decided to debase the silver coinage. Pre-reform denarii like this one are at near 100% fineness. This dropped considerably after the debasement. The earlier denarii are also heavier than

Who were the 12 Caesars?

Who were the 12 Caesars?

In AD 121, the emperors Hadrian’s secretary, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus wrote “De Vita Caesarum” (About the life of the Ceasars) commonly known as “The 12 Caesars”. Technically he only wrote about 11 Caesars and the other figure was the dictator Julius Caesar. The famous Julius Caesar was central to the ending of the Roman Republic. He was a general and statesman and was assassinated on the Ides of March, March 15, 44 BCE. His portrait denarii are very eagerly sought after b

Augustus Denarius 27 BCE-14 CE

Augustus Denarius 27 BCE-14 CE

Although Augustus was the second Caesar covered by Suetonius, he really was the first ruler of the new Roman empire. Originally known by the name Octavian, he became Augustus as the new ruler of the empire. The coin below is special to me for two reasons. First, I love the anepigraphic (no legend) obverse. I feel this gives an elegant look to the portrait and make the portrait the focus of the coin. Many emperors were very particular as to how their images appeared on their c

Titus Denarius 79-81 CE

Titus Denarius 79-81 CE

Titus was very much involved in the suppression of the Jewish revolt in Judea. His other claim to fame was that he completed the construction of the Flavian Amphitheater after the death of his father Vespasian. Titus had something else in common with his father. Like his father, Titus used coin types that were throwbacks to earlier times. One such example is the coin below. On the reverse you will see a ship's prow and a star overhead. This image hearkens back to the Imperato

Claudius Denarius 41-54 CE

Claudius Denarius 41-54 CE

Claudius was rumoured to have been deformed in some way. This probably saved his life because no one considered him to be a threat. After the murder of Gaius Claudius apparently hid in the palace. He was found by the guards and he was proclaimed emperor. One of his best known accomplishments was his successful invasion of England in 53 CE. On the reverse of this coin is the figure of Constantia. She was the personification of constancy or steadiness. Since emperors often used

Vespasian Denarius 69-79 CE

Vespasian Denarius 69-79 CE

This denarius of Vespasian is interesting because of the reverse. The reverse features Nemesis walking with a snake. This reverse was also used earlier by Claudius. In fact, Vespasian revived many of the earlier coin types for his own coinage. The other interesting fact about this denarius is the provenance. This coin once belonged to E. E. Clain-Stefanelli. She was senior Curator of the National Numismatic Collection in the Numismatics Division of the National Museum of Ame

Tiberius Denarius 14-37 CE

Tiberius Denarius 14-37 CE

Tiberius was the third of "The Twelve Caesars" as described in the Lives of the Caesars by Suetonius. He is well known as the emperor who would groom the next emperor, Gaius (more commonly known as Caligula).The denarii of Tiberius are sometimes referred to as boring by some collectors. One reason is that there were only a few types of denarii issued. By far the most common is the one that many refer to as "The Tribute Penny" of the bible.It must be said however that there ar

Domitian Denarius 81-96 CE

Domitian Denarius 81-96 CE

Domitian was the son of Vespasian. He became emperor after the death of Vespasian's other son Titus. Domitian was the last of the Flavian dynasty. Take a look at the obverse portrait on this coin. Domitian's Roman nose is quite prominent. On later issues the nose has been made less prominent. This is a good example of how emperors controlled their image by controlling their representation on the coinage. Thiis coin is also interesting because some of Domitian titles are missi

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