Roman Imperial Coins

Born in A.D. 86 Antoninus was made Caesar after Hadrian’s preferred heir Aelius died in A.D. 138. He succeeded to the throne that year and earned the title ‘Pius’ (which means dutiful or respectful) for two reasons. Firstly, by threatening the Senate with resignation if they did not deify Hadrian. Secondly, as Hadrian had wanted, he adopted young Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius at the start of his reign. What makes him so unusual is that he presided over the most peaceful reign of any emperor, governing well and wisely as a compassionate ruler. He set up charities, built public works for his people, and brought in laws such as ‘innocent until proven guilty’; some historians have argued it could be the greatest collective human happiness in a period of time in history. In Britain, he caused the ‘Antonine Wall’ to be built from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, north of Hadrian’s Wall, to keep the Picts out. We offer Silver Denarius of Antoninus Pius in a Very Fine condition, showing his laureate head on the obverse and various reverses.

Titus Flavius Domitianus was born in Rome in A.D. 51 to the future emperor Vespasian. Side-lined for much of his youth, the sudden death of his older brother, Titus, in A.D. 81 made Domitian emperor. His tyrannical reputation is due to the historians writing about him being of the senatorial ruling class with whom he clashed politically; he executed at least 12 ex-consuls! But, when all the evidence is considered, including archaeology such as coins, it shows he was a ruthless but efficient ruler who provided the foundation of the peaceful second century. He was loved by the people and the army for improving their lives, for instance he improved the silver quality of the coinage, therefore public trust in money. We have a small group of Domitian’s silver Denarius grading Very Fine that show his bust on the obverse and his patron deity, Minerva, standing on the reverse. She was the Roman version of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategic warfare. Fill this gap in your collection and decide for yourself, Tyrant or Terribly Misunderstood?

Marcus Aurelius is one of the most famous Roman Emperors, almost every day someone comes to the shop asking to buy his coins. His fame goes beyond ancient coins, he was also a brilliant Stoic philosopher, called the Philosopher-King in his lifetime he is now renowned the world over for his ‘Meditations’. As emperor he was just and able, but spent 16 of his nearly 20 years fighting wars & invasions, he died exhausted at 58 in A.D. 180. Cassius Dio later wrote: ‘History now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust, as affairs did for the Romans of that day.’ While Marcus Aurelius’ coins were made in reasonable numbers his fame among collectors and others has meant his coins are Scarce; when they are available, people buy and keep them. We have a small group of his silver Denarius grading Fine with various reverses. Everyone has heard of Marcus Aurelius, you can own a piece of his legacy!

Trajan has one of the best legacies, ancient or modern, of any Roman emperor! When later emperors were sworn in it was wished they be ‘luckier than Augustus and better than Trajan’. He literally set the bar for what the Romans saw as a good ruler. Today he is one of the ‘Five Good Emperors’. Trajan was born in A.D. 53 in Italica, Spain, his father had been a consul and governor of Syria. Trajan rose quickly and because he was so popular, importantly with the army, he was adopted in A.D. 97 by the reigning emperor Nerva. Following the death of Nerva the next year, Trajan became emperor. His 19-year reign saw three major conflicts which led to the territory of the Roman Empire being increased to its greatest size. Within the Empire Trajan was a great builder, to name a few projects: the Forum Traiani, Trajan’s Market, an amphitheatre for sea battles, and a new harbour at Ostia. He also established a number of Colonies for retired soldiers and in Italy set up a charity to help orphans and poor children called the Alimentia, shown on one of his rare coins. His most famous and lasting monument is perhaps Trajan’s Column which can still be seen in Rome. When he died he was buried beneath it with Hadrian becoming emperor. We are not often able to offer Trajan’s coins in groups, especially his silver Denarius! They are becoming increasingly hard to find, as he is such a popular emperor, but with much searching, we are able to offer them to you here in Good Fine grade with various reverses.

Trajan. A.D. 98-117., Rome - A.D. 109. AR Denarius. Laureate bust right / 'COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC' Arabia standing left holding branch & cinnamon sticks; camel at feet left. Very Fine & Scarce.

Trajan. A.D. 98-117., Rome - A.D. 115. AR Denarius. Laureate bust right / 'COS VI P P S P Q R' Naked Bonus Eventus stg. left holding patera & corn ears. Flan edge split, Extremely Fine.