Hello everyone ! How are you ? Today I am going to present you the 5 Roman coins I wish I have. In this ranking, there are some that are within my reach and others … that are less so. So here I will introduce and describe each Roman coin. Also, this ranking is unique to me so your opinion is likely to differ from mine, so feel free to put your ranking in the comments. Now let’s get to the heart of the matter and enjoy reading.
(Not owning these coins, hence the article, I could not take pictures myself and I even less found some free of copyright on the internet. That is why all the pictures in this article come from the CGB.fr site. All rights concerning the images are therefore reserved to them. Also, I will put each time the link redirecting to the announcement of the coin in question).
5th roman coin I wish I have : the denarius of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius
This Roman coin is the one that is the most within my reach from the point of view of its price but also of its rarity. Indeed, it is a coin which has an estimate of 100/150 € for a correct state and which is rather common.
On its obverse, we can see the award-winning bust of Antoninus Pius, surrounded by the captions ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS II. On its reverse is the bust of Marcus Aurelius, surrounded by the legends AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F COS.
This coin therefore shows the father and the son and this probably allowed the time to “present” the son of the emperor to the people and therefore to accustom the people to the latter. This type of coin with an emperor and his son was common and Antoninus the Pious was therefore not the only one nor the first elsewhere. Indeed, we can cite the sestertius of Julius Caesar and Augustus. Also, this was done between husband and wife as with the denarius showing Claude and his wife Agrippina.
4th roman coin I wish I have : the denarius of Julius Caesar
This coin is still a denarius but it is a bit special since it is considered to be the first Roman coin to show the true face of a person who is still alive. This first person was Julius Caesar. Other coins were minted with faces on them before this one, but either the people were already dead or it was not their real face but that of a deity or allegory.
It is therefore a very interesting coin from a historical point of view. On its obverse, we can see the award-winning bust of Julius Caesar, surrounded by the legends CAESAR DICT QVART. On its reverse, we can see Juno on a chariot drawn by two horses, holding a shield in the left hand and a haste in the right hand. The captions surrounding this scene are: M METTIVS
This coin is unfortunately less within my reach than the previous denarius since you have to spend around 1000 € for a copy in fair condition, and it is rather rare.
3rd roman coin I wish I have : the cistophore
For this third coin, I do not have a precise idea of the emperor that I would like to have because I would simply like to have the type of coin: a cistophore. He’s a guy I don’t own and I would love to have one. Here, the emperor himself does not interest me. However, to illustrate my point, I chose an Augustus cistophore. On its obverse, we can see the bust of Augustus, surrounded by the captions IMP CAESAR. On its reverse, we can see a Capricorn with a cornucopia on its back, surrounded by a laurel wreath. Below the mythological animal is the legend AVGVSTVS.
This coin is a bit rare but is still findable. To get a copy in good condition, you have to pay around 600 €.
2nd roman coin I wish I have : the aureus of Julius Caesar
This coin is the only one in the ranking that is not in silver. Indeed, it is made of gold. As for the cistophore, I unfortunately do not have this type of Roman coin. And since Julius Caesar is a character I like, I might as well combine the two and therefore want an aureus of Julius Caesar. So this is probably the Roman coin that I would love to have the most because you will see it, the first one is really inaccessible.
On its obverse, we can therefore see Vesta’s veiled head surrounded by the captions C CAESAR COS TERT. On its reverse, we can see pontifical instruments. Captions entered are A HIRTIVS PR.
This coin is unfortunately inaccessible to me because it is expensive: € 5,000 for a copy in good condition and it is rather rare.
1 st roman coin I wish I have : the denarius of Julius Caesar
So yes, this coin is still a coin of Julius Caesar, in addition a denarius but it is really very special.
On its obverse, we can see the laureate and diademed head of Venus or Clémence with the caption: LII. On its reverse, we can see a Gallic soldier attached to a trophy. So maybe this prisoner warrior is Vercingetorix. It would be incredible, but unlikely. Regardless, this coin is here to commemorate the victory of the Romans in a battle against the Gallic.
Also, on the obverse of the coin, you therefore have LII which means 52 in Arabic numeral. As the Battle of Alesia happened in 52 BC, you might think that this has a connection and that this coin is a kind of commemorative coin for the battle which would be incredible. And as Vercingetorix was a prisoner during this battle, we could make the connection. Obviously it is not because in France, we base our dates on the birth of Jesus Christ, but the Romans did not do this since Jesus was not yet born.
Therefore in their day Alésia did not come in -52. But hey, I think the coincidence is funny. Also, CGB identifies this denarius as having been minted in 48 BC. Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC, he was then 52 years old. So does that number represent the age of the dictator, I don’t know. If you have the answer, leave a comment below this article.
Either way, this coin is certainly one of the rarest Roman coins. In fact, during my research, I found traces of only two specimens, including the one pictured. There must be others that I haven’t found, but it is still very rare. Also, its price is not to be overlooked because the one illustrated sold for € 49,000. This coin is therefore really very hard to obtain.
This article is now complete. Hope you liked it. If so, let me know in the comments and also tell me which are the coins you would like to have, Roman or not. Also, don’t hesitate to give me your ideas for future articles. Also, in two weeks, I’ll be on vacation. Therefore, I will not be able to publish an article. But don’t worry, I’m coming back on July 31st. Until then, I wish you happy holidays and see you in three weeks!
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