1907 MS64 $20 Liberty and $20 Saint-Gaudens set
After a phenomenal response from last month’s Twelve Caesars Gold Collection offering, we are now releasing coins representing five more of the twelve emperors, as well as two more from the reign of Julius Caesar. I can’t emphasize enough how scarce these coins really are - our ancient coin team spends the entire year combing through the U.S. and international markets to find only the best representative pieces in investment grades.
This week’s offer is comprised of five of the absolute toughest to find coins of the series, many of which appear for sale to the public very infrequently. I truly hope you will take advantage of this opportunity while supplies last.
To learn more about the Twelve Caesars Gold Collection, read the full history in our introduction last month.
History of the Julius Caesar Gold Aureus
What better way to introduce the Twelve Caesars Gold Collection than with the gold aureus of Julius Caesar, the infamous “dictator for life” who was brutally slain at the hands of conspirators during the Ides (15th) of March in 44 BC.
Caesar’s death plunged the Roman Republic into Civil War, eventually leading to the establishment of the Roman Empire. Due to his iconic status in world history, the coinage of Julius Caesar has always been in high demand. The gold aureus, regularly struck from the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 4th century AD, saw increased production during the reign of Caesar, mostly due to his vast conquests and military campaigns throughout the Mediterranean. These campaigns both produced more gold for coinage and necessitated a standardized form of payment and trade - an 8-gram coin of nearly pure gold. The immense wealth he plundered during his campaigns made him essentially a multi-millionaire, and he is known as one of the greatest military minds in history.
While a couple of posthumous portrait types do exist, the gold aurei struck during Caesar’s reign are typically found in two varieties, both are represented in the offer below.
The first coin features the goddess Victory on the obverse, and a jug on the reverse. The second coin features the goddess Pietas (the divine goddess of piety as virtue) on the obverse, and priestly implements on the reverse. Low grade and damaged pieces are commonly found in the market, but are tougher to find in Very Fine condition and better. These coins are in high demand and are heavily collected worldwide. They are a cornerstone of every ancient coin collection, and a quality example is the foundation of a Twelve Caesars Gold Collection.
The Offer
Opportunities to own one, let alone have your pick of Twelve Caesar coins don’t come along every day. Our ancient specialists have assembled another excellent group of Twelve Caesars gold aurei, representing in total six of the twelve rulers:
• Julius Caesar – last ruler of the Roman Republic.
• Augustus - the founder of the Roman Empire after the assassination of his adopted father Julius Caesar.
• Claudius - the great expander of the Roman Empire.
• Galba - the first emperor in the “Year of the Four Emperors,” a tumultuous time of civil war.
• Otho - ruled for three months before taking his own life.
• Vitellius – the third Emperor during the civil war, a drunken glutton who was eventually murdered by Vespasian.
All of these coins have excellent eye appeal, strike, and surface quality for the grade. Most importantly, they are attainable below auction prices, at surprisingly low entry levels.
Price Performance
As you can see below in our study of price performance over ten years, all Twelve Caesars gold aurei have performed phenomenally. And although demand for these coins is significant, the opportunity to own a piece tied to the reign of Julius Caesar makes these aurei particularly desirable to Twelve Caesars collectors.
*Many coins in this study were raw and not graded, since certification had not existed until 2008 with NGC. Many coins compiled are from European auction results. The European community still does not send their coins in for certification. Having certified coins is a vital step in the process of buying rare coins of any kind, as it increases your liquidity and eliminates questions of authenticity or condition when it comes time to sell later on.
Julius Caesar, d. 44 BC, AV Gold Aureus NGC Choice Very Fine, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5 price: Call for price & product availability
Julius Caesar, d. 44 BC, AV Gold Aureus NGC Choice Very Fine, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5 price: Call for price & product availability
Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14, AV Gold Aureus NGC Very Fine Strike:5/5, Surface: 3/5 edge marks price: Call for price & product availability
Claudius, AD 41-54, AV Gold Aureus NGC Very Fine, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5 price: Call for price & product availability
Galba, AD 68-69, AV Gold Aureus NGC Very Fine, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5 price: Call for price & product availability
Otho, AD 69, AV Gold Aureus NGC Fine, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 2/5 scuffs price: Call for price & product availability
Vitellius, AD 69, AV Gold Aureus NGC Fine, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5 price: Call for price & product availability
We strongly believe that every rare coin portfolio should contain a rare ancient gold aureus from the Twelve Caesars collection. And, this could be a great chance for current Twelve Caesars collectors to come that much closer to completing their collection. Contact us today at 800-831-0007 to take advantage of this special opportunity, or to learn more about a division of numismatics with tremendous value potential and historical appeal.
