About The Roma Aeterna Collection

Welcome to Roma Aeterna Collection, a personal collection of coins from ancient Rome. It encompasses Roman Imperial Coinage between 27 BCE, the year Octavian was declared Augustus by the Roman Senate, and 476 CE, the year in which the last Western Roman emperor was deposed.

 

It is limited to portrait coins of the emperors and does not include coinage featuring other historical persons such as empresses and children. Over this span of 500 years more than 130 individuals declared themselves emperor and had coinage struck with their portrait and the title Augustus (AVG) on the obverse. Many of these were usurpers on the fringes of the Empire with little more than transitory support of their personal troops. The Roma Aeterna collection does not include these usurpers and instead focuses on the legitimate emperors. Although the line between "legitimate" and "usurper" is admittedly unclear, the collection is defined by a curated list of 96 emperors.

 

The collection is still growing and examples of some emperors are not yet present. The Roma Aeterna Collection is limited to superior pieces with exceptional style, centering, strike, and portraiture. For some emperors, particularly those of the 3rd century, beautiful coinage is exceptionally rare. For others, such as the puppet emperors of the Western Empire in the 5th century, fine examples are extremely expensive. 

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This collection is a testament to the long and rich history of ancient Rome. We are passionate about preserving these artifacts and sharing the knowledge they hold. Explore our collection to delve into the fascinating world of ancient Rome.