A coin from every Roman emperor?

For long term ancient collecting, is this a realistic goal? Simply one example of a coin from every Roman Imperial emperor. Or at least the major ones, if some emperors did not mint coins or they are too obscure. Is this realistic or did I just state an impossible task? Thanks of the help!

-CB

 

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every one? not all that realistic

all the major ones? quite possible

 

I'm going to ask another question about emperors. Why do different lists of roman emperors tell me different amount. Some say there we 30 others say there were 128 and so on. How do I discern who was emperor and who was "emperor"

 

If you count only the unified empire rulers, there were 71 emperors and co-regents from Augustus to Theodosius. The Unified Empire broke up finally in 395 AD. If you count the Western Empire rulers (395 to 479, from Honorius to Romulus Augustulus) there were 16 more emperors and co-regents.


87 ? That doesn't seem too difficult, however, might there be more that this source doesn't mention?

 

I think that the Roman Transition of power worked like this

Emperor Dies
Next in lines yells "I'm Emperor"
Jealous dude runs up, stabs him "No I'm emperor"
You can see where that goes...

 

128 seems too high. it might be that this source was counting people who were proclaimed but had no power beyond the military units or local region they controled. they might also be including the british, gallic, and palmayric rulers

 

So next question is...how should I discern the significant emperors versus non significant emperors?

 

Read(or listen to) the history. Decide which ones matter to you.

 

You could use the list from Wildwinds that was used in the recent thread:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/lets-march-through-time-with-roman-imperials.327939/

You could start by picking emperors or time periods that you find interesting.

 

The 12 Caesars sounds like a solid place to start

 

Who was the first?
Who was the last?
Who were all the others in between?

 

? What do you mean?

 

Well... Who was the first emperor? Who was the last emperor? and who were all the other emperors in between? That would be one way to count.

I did some very quick research to come up with my previous post of 87.

It will be very interesting to see the coins from however many emperors are finally decided on.

Thanks.

 

Lots of people attempt such a set; I'm up to over 120 persons, including wives, dead relatives, and usurpers.

A good place to start is the Nerva-Antonine dynasty, Nerva through Commodus. There's only eight of them, most of them are famous, and all but two are abundantly common even in high grades.

 

Lots of people start this type of thing and the scope seems to be largely personal. Do you want to have just bronze? Include silver? Mix in some gold? Must be Imperial? Can be provincial?
Making up your own way through this, deciding who is in and who is out seems a very personal decision.

 

When does the Roman empire end? What we call the Byzantine empire ( Eastern Roman Empire) ended in 1453. Separating it from the Roman empire is a modern day decision, the people who lived in it always considered themselves Roman and their enemies considered them to be Romans.

The Emperors wore the Purple until the very end in 1453.

 

By the mid third century, the selection of a Roman Emperor was hardly an orderly affair. Twenty-six “barracks emperors” reigned between 235 and 284. Some generals were proclaimed augustus by their troops but did not have that status recognized elsewhere. A number of usurpers appeared in the third and fourth centuries, and the principal difference between a usurper and a new emperor was whether or not the usurper had a bigger army. There was even a complete breakaway Gallic Empire for a while. And after Diocletian, there was an augustus in the west and one in the east, at least a good bit of the time. All these factors explain how lists might vary.

The acquisition of a coin for every emperor involves questions such as whether (sometimes rare and very expensive) usurpers are to be included. But honestly, except for collectors with the deepest of pockets, a complete run of emperors is a collecting goal that should be abandoned, or at least modified. Maybe collect as many as is “reasonably affordable” to acquire. For me, I specialize in Constantine coins, but I’m also working on a Twelve Caesars set, and I try to pick up a coin of major figures such as Marcus Aurelius or Hadrian. Whom one considers “major” may vary.

Alternatively, subsets can be fun and focusing. Severans. Severan Women. The Adoptive Emperors. The Tetrarchy. Constantine and Family. Etc. And yes, the Twelve Caesars, though a beginning collector with limited resources might run into some challenges here. Good luck finding an Otho for under $300.

 

BTW, you might enjoy perusing these links as you have time:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-coins-beginners’-faq-thread.324858/#post-3206438

 

Collecting by person/dynasty is popular, but I get a great deal of enjoyment by collecting by theme -- and Roman provincial coins have a nearly limitless set of themes to choose from.

Themes I collect:

Pagan deities
Personifications of Roman virtues
Gallienus' "zoo" coins
Mythological scenes

Other popular themes:

Animals
Astronomy/Astrology
Architecture
Military themes

Is there anything cooler than Cybele riding in a quadriga of lions?



Or how about Artemis with a bow, quiver and stag?

 

A helpful thread from the beginners FAQ thread:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/for-beginners-who-ask-what-should-i-collect.308319/#post-2950249