Anyone here collect a type set of Roman Emperors?

Dennis88

One of each emperor starting with Augustus...how difficult is this to do?

Dennis

bronzemat

I do, but it is hard since there is some emperors that are pretty scarce. It isnt a set that can be completed due to so many emperors and usurpers, some coins there is only a single type known.

But to build a set with the easy to acquire emperors, its fairly easy.

SmEagle1795

It depends how extensive you want to be. Personally, I lose interest partway through Roman history due to the decline in its aesthetics so I'm collecting only up until Philip the Arab, on the thousandth anniversary of the founding of Rome. Many people just collect the Twelve Caesars, or focus on another group, like the Five Good Emperors, and some others try to include all of the available wives/children. You can really slice and dice it as you choose.

coachbedford

3rd century a.d roman emperors are usually inexpensive-- but that doesnt mean there aren't some REALLY scarce emperors of that century. Emperors were getting overthrown/murdered all the time, and some ruled just a few weeks (some maybe just days). Same way with the latter part of the 5th century a.d.

NiceCurrency

well there are quite a few

I'm trying to do it, but one period or section at a time, sorta, after the twelve caesars I'm going to move on to the adoptive emperors and so on, your year of 5 emperors guys are going to cost an arm and a leg though so keep that in mind

and as mentioned above there are others that are super rare but those are the ones I know of off hand

STONE

Try collecting them in Fourree's It's a tougher challenge which I'm currently attempting

Zohar

HoledandCreative

No collection but very nice posters.

TIF2

I'll eventually put together a haphazard Twelve Caesars set plus Five Good Emperors.

@Stone: a fouree set... fabulous! Looking forward to seeing it

lordmarcovan

I've done the Twelve Caesars, and at one point in 2007-08, I had more than a hundred different emperors and empresses, and there were still quite a few "obtainable" ones I could have added.

Naturally no one ever completes the ENTIRE series, for as mentioned, as there are some emperors for whom only a single coin is known, and who are known to history only from their coins.

nicholasz219

I am kind of working on that set, I guess, even though you obviously see many more of the common emperors, regardless of budget, must necessarily more so the shallower your budget is. But on the other hand, while I have made some good progress in my 12 Caesars set and have picked up some reasonably rare emperors, I am kind of still scattershot buying coins of emperors I do not have as well as multiple examples of emperors I like. Gallienus turned into an emperor that I really like in terms of coinage, so I have multiple examples of him. Galerius, on the other hand, I only have one example of. Since this collection theme really is sort of the epitome of the idea of a collection being the product of time and money together, as either or both of those variables expand, so does your collecting possibilities. What I enjoy about having at least one coin from each emperor is how you get such a profound sense of the span of the Empire from it. Also, it can be a very impressive collection while it is in progress and no where near completion. People with minimal interest in coins can look at your collection and get some of the same sense of history and scope just looking at mine and I own no gold, some silver and mostly bronze. If you like to continuously learn, have the opportunity to go back and forth from it and spend basically what you want from $5 to $50000, its a good collection to work on. Since it is so potentially large though, I am trying to upload all of my Roman coins onto photobucket so I have a working gallery so when I am at a show or a dealer I can reference exactly how good a piece is compared to mine or if I am mistakenly thinking of one emperor when I mean another.

Good luck Dennis and let us know how you are doing with pictures!

TPRC

I am working on a set of Roman portraiture denari. I will never finish it, but who cares as it is fun. I started with the 12 Caesars but quickly expanded it to what is about 60 or so pieces. A complete set is not achievable and even just the 2 Caesars can get expensive if nice.
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