expat Posted October 21, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted October 21, 2023 There must be many varieties on this subject. With the acquisition of Nerva this week mine is complete now. I would love to see your versions of the "Good 5" so please share them. 21 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Collector Posted October 21, 2023 · Patron Share Posted October 21, 2023 Coingratulations, @expat! It's always a nice feeling to complete a set. Here they are in denarii: 17 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryro Posted October 21, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted October 21, 2023 Excellent set! Here's my version of the 5 good emperors: Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. Æ Sestertius (33.5mm, 23.85 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck AD 37-38. Laureate head left / Gaius' three sisters standing facing: Agrippina (as Securitas) leaning on column, holding cornucopia, and placing hand on Drusilla (as Concordia), holding patera and cornucopia; on right, Julia (as Fortuna) holding rudder and cornucopia. RIC I 33. Reddish-brown and light green patina, portrait defaced in antiquity. Fine. Nero Bronze. AD 54-68. 6,11 g. 23 mm Obv.: NEPΩN KAIΣAP. Bare head left. Rev.: MAKEΔONΩN ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ. Macedonian shield. VF, RPC 1614; SNG Copenhagen 1335; BMC 146. Commodus 177-192. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 2.12 g, 6 h), Rome, 191-192. L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL Head of Commodus to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. HERCVLI ROMANO AVG Club in center flanked by bow and quiver. BMC 343. Cohen 195. RIC 253. Slightly rough and with some scratches, otherwise, good fine. caracalla-198-217. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 3.00 g, 12 h), Rome, 217. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM Laureate head of Caracalla to right. Rev. P M TR P XX COS IIII P P Jupiter standing front, head to left, holding thunderbolt in his right hand and long scepter in his left. BMC 180. Cohen 373. RIC 285a. Light deposits and with a minor edge crack, otherwise, good extremely fine. Purchased from Leu Feb 2022 ELAGABALUS" (16/05 / 218-12 / 03/222) Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Denarius 222 CE, Mint Rome 19mm, 12h. 2.76 gr. Degree of rarity: R1 RCV.7518 - RIC.88 var. - Th.258 - RSC.61 b - RCV.7518 Obverse: IMP ANTONINVS - PIVS AVG. Bearded bust, laureate and draped Elagabal right, seen three quarters forward, horned *Elke Kringel hypothesised the "horn" is actually a bulls phallus! Reverse: INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG / * | -. (The Invincible Priest of the Emperor). Elagabal laureate and draper standing upright turned left, holding a cypress branch turned upwards with the left hand and a peg with his right hand, sacrificing above an altar lit; Behind the altar, the remains of the ox. 9 1 3 1 2 3 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisimo Posted October 21, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted October 21, 2023 Great set @expat! Here is mine. 13 1 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn235 Posted October 21, 2023 · Member Share Posted October 21, 2023 One of my favorite sets to complete, easily doable in almost any denomination at any budget level! My Good 5: Or if you want to get a little wild, invite the whole family over for a party! I need to do a do-over of that shot because I've added a few more titles since then! 10 3 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limes Posted October 22, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted October 22, 2023 10 hours ago, expat said: There must be many varieties on this subject. With the acquisition of Nerva this week mine is complete now. I would love to see your versions of the "Good 5" so please share them. Nice set you've assembled! And you can expend it as you like, for example like Finn did above. Or not. I did not, I kept it as below, but with a co-emperor and a 'almost emperor'. 14 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qcumbor Posted October 22, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted October 22, 2023 Some cool, some "interesting" and some "wow" sets folks ! My version Q 14 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayAg47 Posted October 22, 2023 · Member Share Posted October 22, 2023 (edited) Really a nice list of coins you've put together! Here's mine I made nearly 3 yrs ago. I think it should be 'Six good' emperors, if not for Lucius Verus's carefree attitude and taking equal burden on running the empire, Rome would've seen a civil war much sooner, Ant pi really raised them both well! Edited October 22, 2023 by JayAg47 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qcumbor Posted October 22, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted October 22, 2023 Oh, and by the way, here's a second set, in bronze this time : Q 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambr0zie Posted October 22, 2023 · Member Share Posted October 22, 2023 Completing the Five Good Emperors is a great achievement and, probably, the most important budget friendly set for a collector. My version: Denarii Imperial bronze (with a small cheat as my only Marcus Aurelius imperial bronze is not very presentable so choosing a double portrait with Pius and Marcus as Caesar) Provincial 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted October 22, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted October 22, 2023 I'm not going to post mine as they have been shown many times before. Suffice it to say they are in denarii, drachms and tetradrachms of Alexandria, and provincials. As such it is a bit of a smattering of types. Oh, and @Qcumbor those are great CONSECRATIO antoniniani. Those in my experience don't come up for sale or auction much so I am wondering how you have amassed your collection of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncientOne Posted October 22, 2023 · Member Share Posted October 22, 2023 The fabulous 5. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qcumbor Posted October 22, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted October 22, 2023 5 hours ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said: Oh, and @Qcumbor those are great CONSECRATIO antoniniani. Those in my experience don't come up for sale or auction much so I am wondering how you have amassed your collection of them. Thanks ACH. The Divi series is one specialized collecting theme of mine. The set (two different reverses for each of the 11 emperors "honoured") took me a bit less than 20 years to complete. See here Q 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted October 22, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted October 22, 2023 4 minutes ago, Qcumbor said: Thanks ACH. The Divi series is one specialized collecting theme of mine. The set (two different reverses for each of the 11 emperors "honoured") took me a bit less than 20 years to complete. See here Q Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prieure de Sion Posted October 22, 2023 · Member Share Posted October 22, 2023 The question is - what is (has been) a "good" emperor? One must also often see this in the context of the time. Even "good" emperors - such as perhaps Augustus or Marcus Aurelius - made Italian heads roll. They too invaded and enslaved other tribes. They, too, got rid of opponents. I recall the proscription lists of Octavian (and the Second Triumvirate) - where people were put on the death list just like that without any scruples. So what is a "good" emperor? From today's point of view, there are no "good" emperors for me who would meet the critics of today. I am therefore looking for another definition of "good emperor". For me, good means - interesting historical person. And here what counts for me is - was it an "interesting" historical person who is "worth" looking at further. Was he a "victim" of his environment - could he not act differently in the end? Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Therefore, my list of five good emperors is - a list of emperors which I find interesting - i.e. good. Caligula, 37-41 AD Nero, 54-68 AD Commodus, 180-192 AD Caracalla, 211-217 AD Elagabal, 218-222 AD 8 1 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Collector Posted October 24, 2023 · Patron Share Posted October 24, 2023 (edited) On 10/22/2023 at 1:34 PM, Prieure de Sion said: The question is - what is (has been) a "good" emperor? One must also often see this in the context of the time. Even "good" emperors - such as perhaps Augustus or Marcus Aurelius - made Italian heads roll. They too invaded and enslaved other tribes. They, too, got rid of opponents. I recall the proscription lists of Octavian (and the Second Triumvirate) - where people were put on the death list just like that without any scruples. So what is a "good" emperor? From today's point of view, there are no "good" emperors for me who would meet the critics of today. I am therefore looking for another definition of "good emperor". For me, good means - interesting historical person. And here what counts for me is - was it an "interesting" historical person who is "worth" looking at further. Was he a "victim" of his environment - could he not act differently in the end? Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Therefore, my list of five good emperors is - a list of emperors which I find interesting - i.e. good. Caligula, 37-41 AD Nero, 54-68 AD Commodus, 180-192 AD Caracalla, 211-217 AD Elagabal, 218-222 AD The phrase "five good emperors" was a term first coined by Machiavelli and later adopted and popularized by historian Edward Gibbon, the 18th century author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In the context of Roman coin collecting, it simply refers to those on Machiavelli and Gibbon's list: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. You are assigning the term a moral dimension that simply doesn't exist in the context of Roman coin collecting. It's sort of like the "Twelve Caesars" set. It's a term based on Suetonius. Now, you are free to define and collect a set whichever way you like. I've advocated that a beginner acquire the coins of the emperors in Chapter 10 of Mary Beard's SPQR for they are interesting, historically important, and relatively easy to acquire within a certain budget. Chapter 10 is titled, "Fourteen Emperors." Edited October 24, 2023 by Roman Collector 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jims,Coins Posted October 27, 2023 · Member Share Posted October 27, 2023 (edited) Heres my Five Good Emperors: Silver coin (AR Denarius) minted at Rome during the reign of NERVA in 97 A.D. Obv. IMP.NERVA.CAES.AVG.TR.P.COS.III.P.P.: laur, hd. r. Rev. FORTVNA.AVGVST.: Fortuna stg. l., holding rudder and cornucopia. RCS #953. RSCII #66 pg. 79. RICII #16 pg. 224. DVM #8. RCVSII #3025. Silver coin (AR Denarius) minted at Rome during the reign of TRAJAN in 108 A.D. Obv. IMP.TRAIANO.AVG.GER.DAC.P.M.TR.P.: laur. hd. r. Rev. COS.V.P.P.S.P.Q.R.OPTIMO.PRINCIP.: Aequitas stg. l., holding scales and cornucopia. RCS #978. RSCII #85a. RICII #119 pg. 252. RCVSII #3122. (nearly centered, legends complete, good metal with light golden-grey tone, a pleasant coin). Silver coin (AR Denarius) minted at Rome during the reign of HADRIAN in 123 A.D. Obv. IMP.CAESAR.TRAIAN.HADRIANVS.AVG.: laur. hd. r. Rev. P.M.TR.P.COS.III./LIB.PVB.: Libertas seated l. on throne, holding branch and sceptre. RSCII #903 pg.140. RICII #127 pg.355. BMC #284. DVM #47/10. RCSVII #3502. (nice AVF, nearly centered, full legends, slightly raggedy edge, clean untoned metal). Silver coin (AR Denarius) minted at Rome during the reign of ANTONINUS PIUS in 146 A.D. Obv. ANTONINVS.AVG.PIVS.P.P.: laur. hd. r. Rev. COS.IIII.: Clasped hands holding caduceus, sometimes winged, between two corn-ears. RCS #1237. RSCII #344 pg.175. RICIII #136 pg.43. DVM #18/20. RCVSII #4078. Silver coin (AR Denarius) minted at Rome during the reign of MARCUS AURELIUS in 166 A.D. Obv. M.ANTONINVS.AVG.ARM.PARTH.MAX.: laur. head r. Rev. TR.P.XX.IMP.IIII.COS.III./PAX.: Pax standing l., holding branch and caduceus. RSCII #435 pg.208. RICIII #159 pg.225. DVM #69. Edited October 27, 2023 by Jims,Coins 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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