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 Replies: 8 / Views: 1,254 |
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Valued Member
United States
86 Posts |
I've decided to collect the 12 Caesar coins. So far I've got the Caesar Military Elephant coin, which I don't think counts toward the 12.
Not sure why I picked Nero to be the focus of starting my collection. Probably because he's the most known to me. Anyways, I watched a youtube video about the Nero coins and was surprised there are soooo many with his likeness! So, for all you Nero coin fans, is there a particular coin most collectors try to get, not because of rarity, but because of style, beauty, or historical significance?
Thanks! Edited by floyd5175
04/09/2025 4:59 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5238 Posts |
Get one with the best portrait. I know that many prefer the silver ones, but I prefer the large copper/ bronze ones because the size of the flan gives a better and bigger likeness.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2214 Posts |
One important coin is the sesterius of Nero, reverse shows port of Ostia with ships. The port was used to import grain and other products. This type is expensive. The reverse mostly isn't as important as the overall condition and Nero's portrait in my opinion. For Nero I have a worn denarius/Salus, a sesterius/Roma in better shape and a few of his Roman Provincials.   Edited by livingwater
04/09/2025 6:27 pm
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Moderator
 Australia
16808 Posts |
In terms of reverse types, the Temple of Janus coins are quite popular. Architectural types are generally quite popular with collectors, and the Temple of Janus coins are both well-executed and have an interesting story behind them.
The Temple of Janus was an unusual structure, to modern senses. Rather than the typical church-like or Parthenon-like structure of most pagan temples, the Temple of Janus was a small boxy structure with two large doors at either end, just big enough to house the cult-statue of Janus in the building's centre - essentially, it was a short covered passageway that people often walked through as a shortcut across the Forum. Quite fitting for the two-faced god of entrances and exits. But there was a ritual attached to this temple, established way back in the semi-mythical times of the Roman Kings: if Rome was at peace, the doors would be ceremonially closed, and kept closed until war broke out again. Given that the Roman Empire was built on a pretext of never-ending wars of conquest, this did not happen very often (though Augustus did it, on three separate occasions, no other Roman emperor had done so prior to Nero). The coins commemorate just such a closing-the-doors ceremony held by Nero. The coins have a long, rambling Latin legend that translates to "Having secured peace by land and sea, the Doors of Janus were closed".
Though many surviving written records describe the temple and it's closing-the-doors ritual, the Temple of Janus itself has not survived and there is even uncertainty about exactly where it was. The coins of Nero provide the only physical evidence of what it looked like.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Moderator
Australia
16808 Posts |
But in terms of a Twelve Caesars set, perhaps the most important consideration is a coin where the emperor's name is clearly readable - since, if you're doing any kind of display arrangement, you're probably going to be putting the coins face-up.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Valued Member
 United States
86 Posts |
Outstanding info and insight, Sap! Thanks! I guess I'm off to Vcoins, Heritage, and biddr, entering "Nero" in the search field, then looking for a coin with a nice portrait, a readable "Nero," and an architectural element!
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Valued Member
United States
86 Posts |
I'm seeing a lot of Nero coins with eagles on the reverse. Are those especially common among Nero coins?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3342 Posts |
"Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2214 Posts |
The eagle is on many ancient and modern coins.
Edited by livingwater
04/09/2025 10:22 pm
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Replies: 8 / Views: 1,254 |
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Posted 04/09/2025 6:18 pm
